I did this drawing today in commemoration of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. … [Read more...] about Remember
Why do Latin America Leaders Want to Follow Fidel Castro? (La Prensa, Nicaragua)
Finally, in Nicaragua of all places, we have found a Latin American newspaper that agrees with the U.S. position of excluding Cuba from the Summit of the Americas. Can it be argued that Latin America governments, even right-of-center democracies like Colombia, are jealous of the absolute power wielded by totalitarian regimes like Cuba's? This editorial from Nicaragua's La … [Read more...] about Why do Latin America Leaders Want to Follow Fidel Castro? (La Prensa, Nicaragua)
Obama Connects with Civil Rights Past
WASHINGTON - On a fundraising sweep, during a stop at Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, Pres. Obama boarded the legendary Rosa Parks bus. From remarks at one of the fundraisers, via CBS News: "I actually had the chance to sit in Rosa Parks' bus -- I just sat there for a moment and pondered the courage and tenacity that is part of our very recent history." - Pres. … [Read more...] about Obama Connects with Civil Rights Past
Broken
Broken By Doug Bursch Who broke you? Who crushed your worth and made you the man I see today? It's always great with you, always victorious, always going well and better than before. You've given every one in this room advice. Yet none can be taken, nothing can be learned by you. Who harmed you? Who crushed the little boy, took away his worth? Who made you feel … [Read more...] about Broken
Judge Sets $150,000 Bond For George Zimmerman: Zimmerman Apologizes to Trayvon Martin’s Parents (UPDATED)
A Florida judge has set bond at $150,000 for George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin shooting case in a dramatic hearing in which Zimmerman apologized to the unarmed, dead teen's parents -- and the intense bail hearing foreshadowed what is likely to be a highly emotional general trial that could further polarize America: A Florida judge set bond Friday at $150,000 for the … [Read more...] about Judge Sets $150,000 Bond For George Zimmerman: Zimmerman Apologizes to Trayvon Martin’s Parents (UPDATED)
George Zimmerman’s Bail Hearing (Live Video Streaming)
Breaking news in the Trayvon Martin killing case: accused killer George Zimmerman's bail hearing is going on now. Here is live video streaming: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy UPDATE: This morning ABC's Good Morning America showed a photo allegedly showing head injuries suffered by Zimmerman the night of the struggle, when the … [Read more...] about George Zimmerman’s Bail Hearing (Live Video Streaming)
Test for Moderation’s Survival? Philadelphia’s Tim Holden Battles for Re-Election (Guest Voice)
Test for Moderation's Survival? Philadelphia's Tim Holden Battles for Re-Election by Scott Crass Historically, north central Pennsylvania may be the last place in America where parochialism has trumped everything else. Situated just far enough from metro Philly to have forged it's own identity, the region has the ambience of urban molding into cultural conservatism, and … [Read more...] about Test for Moderation’s Survival? Philadelphia’s Tim Holden Battles for Re-Election (Guest Voice)
Zombie Bears and the Future of America
I really enjoyed this optimistic piece about the future of America by Barry Ritholtz. And it taught me a new term for people who've irritated me for decades: the "Zombie Bears," i.e. the people who always see doom right around the corner. There are serious long-term problems we face as a society, and much that's going to have to be examined and re-examined by this generation … [Read more...] about Zombie Bears and the Future of America
Generation Gone to Hell and Back
“This is not who we are,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says after seeing pictures of U.S. soldiers defiling enemy bodies in Afghanistan. True, but isn’t it what young Americans are in danger of becoming after a dirty, murky, endless war with nothing to show for it when they come home but coarsened sensitivity to human life and cases of post-traumatic stress disorder? As … [Read more...] about Generation Gone to Hell and Back
Bipartisanship’s Last Flight
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Bipartisanship’s Last Flight
The Right Wing Bully Machine
WASHINGTON -- Not all overheated political rhetoric is alike. Delusional right-wing crazy talk -- the kind of ranting we've heard recently from washed-up rock star Ted Nugent and tea party-backed Rep. Allen West -- is a special kind of poison that cannot be safely ignored. Let me be clear: I'm saying that the extreme language we hear from the far right is qualitatively … [Read more...] about The Right Wing Bully Machine
RIP Dick Clark
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about RIP Dick Clark
Victoria’s Secret Service
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Victoria’s Secret Service
Things They Are A Changing For the Dems
You'd think the Republicans wouldn't have a chance. But they do. More than a chance. As the Times puts it, any hopes the Democratic party has of taking the House back are "dim." ... Congressional redistricting, a decennial process that generally allows the party in power in each state to draw new lines, has not created a ton of opportunities for new seats for … [Read more...] about Things They Are A Changing For the Dems
Gingrich Redux Reduced
Atlantic.com has an interesting article about Newt Gingrich.
According to Molly Ball, Newt Gingrich is a “man reduced.”
He attracts more attention for having been bitten by a zoo penguin than for policy proposals.
He barely rates mention at political functions and has not been taken seriously by the political world for some weeks now.
Much of his empire of think … [Read more...] about Gingrich Redux Reduced
Some Election Factoids
An interesting look at some facts about elections, things to consider the next time somebody uses the word "never" in connection with the election this year. … [Read more...] about Some Election Factoids
Americas Summit Cements ‘North American Isolation’ (Opera Mundi, Brazil)
The Latin American reaction to the Sixth Summit of the Americas continues to roll in, and for those of us from the United States, it is not an encouraging one. How much diminished is U.S. influence in Latin America? Has Washington properly processed this dramatic geopolitical change? This analysis from Brazil's Opera Mundi paints the picture of a Washington that has so far … [Read more...] about Americas Summit Cements ‘North American Isolation’ (Opera Mundi, Brazil)
IS Oklahoma actually OK?
Dixie Cups, now owned by the Koch Brothers "Think about the people as if they were storm troopers in Star Wars. They may be individually innocent, but they are guilty because they work for the Evil Empire." — [48] Today is a profound anniversary, but not much celebrated because it seems an inconvenient truth: before we all learned to hate "Moooslems," "Ayrabs" and … [Read more...] about IS Oklahoma actually OK?
Blaming Washington: Why the Americas Summit was a Bust (El Pais, Spain)
By attacking the United States, were Latin American leaders at the Sixth Summit of the Americas seeking to divert attention from issues that they would have found personally embarrassing? For Spain's El Pais, columnist Moises Naim describes not only the diversion being practiced by many of the region's heads of state, but how much less influence they have compared to those who … [Read more...] about Blaming Washington: Why the Americas Summit was a Bust (El Pais, Spain)
April 17, 2012: A Day that Will Live in Infamy for Cookie Lovers
Sitting at a picnic table with four couples during a campaign stop outside Pittsburgh, Mitt Romney munched at some cookies donated by a local bakery and -- presumably in an attempt at humor -- said to one of the women at the table: I’m not sure about these cookies. They don’t look like you made them…Did you make those cookies? You didn’t, did you? No. No. They came from … [Read more...] about April 17, 2012: A Day that Will Live in Infamy for Cookie Lovers