George Zimmerman (28, age first reported as 26) gunned down Trayvon Martin (17) the evening of Sunday, February 26, 2012 in a gated neighborhood (The Retreat at Twin Lakes) located in Sanford, FL, a suburb of Orlando. On March 19, the state attorney general told media that a federal grand jury will convene on April 10. Read more in Part 1: The Three Week Old Story, … [Read more...] about [Updated] How The Trayvon Martin Case Unfolded
New Trayvon Martin Twist: Anonymous Witness Reportedly Tells Police Martin Attacked Zimmerman
We've run a lot of posts on the Trayvon Martin killing controversy. And as TMV Guest Voice Columnist Simon Owens notes, there has been a truly shocking lack of coverage of this story from some conservative websites. So it'll be interesting to see if suddenly -- as a further sign of just how everything in American politics must devolve into a partisan and ideological struggle -- … [Read more...] about New Trayvon Martin Twist: Anonymous Witness Reportedly Tells Police Martin Attacked Zimmerman
Study Reveals that Facts Don’t Matter to U.S. Conservatives (News, Switzerland)
Has the scientific method lost all relevance to conservative Republicans in America? The question is not new. But now, according to this editorial from Switzerland's News, a scientific study conducted by researchers at Yale University shows that not only doesn't the U.S. right put much stock in what is known as 'scientific fact,' but more educated Republicans are just as … [Read more...] about Study Reveals that Facts Don’t Matter to U.S. Conservatives (News, Switzerland)
I Gave Them a Sword (Guest Voice)
I Gave Them a Sword by David Goodloe Thirty–five years ago yesterday, journalist David Frost and former President Richard Nixon sat down for the first of the Frost–Nixon interviews in Monarch Bay, Calif. The interviews were edited into four 90–minute programs that were broadcast in May 1977. After Nixon's resignation in August 1974, he more or less disappeared from … [Read more...] about I Gave Them a Sword (Guest Voice)
Home Alone: The Trend, Not The Movie (Guest Voice)
Home Alone: The Trend, Not The Movie by Danny Tyree Paradox of the week: if you live alone, you're not alone. According to "Going Solo: The Extraordinary And Surprising Appeal of Living Alone," by Eric Klineberg, PhD, more than 50 percent of American adults are single (up from 22 percent in 1950), and one in seven adults lives alone. Granted, the statistics are … [Read more...] about Home Alone: The Trend, Not The Movie (Guest Voice)
For Obama, a Racial Flashback
“If I had a son,” the President said yesterday, “he’d look like Trayvon,” the boy whose shooting by a Florida neighborhood watchman has become the subject of obsessive national discussion. “All of us have to do some soul searching to figure out how I can only imagine what these parents are going through,” he added. “When I think about this boy, I think about my own … [Read more...] about For Obama, a Racial Flashback
Stand Your Ground Before He Stands His Ground
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Stand Your Ground Before He Stands His Ground
Welcome to Election Year: Gingrich Calls Obama’s Comments on Trayvon Martin Killing “Disgraceful”
Welcome to election year. Today President Barack Obama responded to a reporter's question about the killing of unarmed 17 year old Trayvon Martin by armed neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman. And most pundits and politicos felt his comments were on target. But this is election year. So -- just like clockwork -- his comments were immediately denounced as … [Read more...] about Welcome to Election Year: Gingrich Calls Obama’s Comments on Trayvon Martin Killing “Disgraceful”
BREAKING — Sgt. Bales’ ‘Charge Sheet’: Devastating and Sickening
It took the front and back of a military “Charge Sheet,” DD Form 458, and three additional sheets to list the 17 specifications of Charge I, “Violation of the UCMJ, Article 118-- each one specifying the murder of an Afghan man, woman or child -- and the following two additional charges: Charge II: “Violation of the UCMJ, Article 80,” I.E. the attempt to murder one … [Read more...] about BREAKING — Sgt. Bales’ ‘Charge Sheet’: Devastating and Sickening
Viacom Responds To TMV
Yesterday I wrote about watching the movie Groundhog Day on Country Music Television and the fact that they'd muted the word gay from one scene. I questioned why they did so since the scene simply involved Bill Murray's character saying that a waiter was gay and the waiter calmly confirming the fact. Well it seems that someone at Viacom (the owners of MTV and CMT) saw the … [Read more...] about Viacom Responds To TMV
Putting Political Poetry On America’s Op Ed Pages
Why isn't there more poetry on the Op Ed and opinion pages of this country's newspapers? The answer to this question might seem obvious. Poetry isn't viewed by newspaper editors (nor by most American poets) as a primary medium of popular political and economic expression. It's seen as a way to express personal feelings, and best-suited for the pages of small literary … [Read more...] about Putting Political Poetry On America’s Op Ed Pages
Geraldo Rivera Jumps Shark: Suggests Trayvon Martin’s Hoodie Contributed to Death
I'm mostly offline today but I went online enough to see this mind-boggling assertion by Fox News' Geraldo Rivera. I've often defended Rivera, noting that he was an excellent reporter in his earlier years before me became more celebrity than working journalist. But no more. My reaction is not "PC." It's to the logic and the fact that it sends out a VERY dangerous message to … [Read more...] about Geraldo Rivera Jumps Shark: Suggests Trayvon Martin’s Hoodie Contributed to Death
World Hopes U.S. Republican Spat Results in Better Policies (San-in Chuo Shimpo Shimbun, Japan)
Will the most raucous Republican presidential primary race in living memory result in better policies on the Republican side? Given the shocking political bloodletting, this editorial from Japan's San-in Chuo Shimpo Shimbun expresses the hope that it won't all be for naught. The San-in Chuo Shimpo Shimbun editorial says in part: Previous victorious U.S. presidential … [Read more...] about World Hopes U.S. Republican Spat Results in Better Policies (San-in Chuo Shimpo Shimbun, Japan)
How Many Romneys for Mt. Rushmore?
Mitt Romney’s hapless aide has found the perfect Etch-a-Sketch metaphor for a GOP campaign that keeps changing like scribbles on a childhood toy, erasing quick pictures of one frontrunner after another and now preparing to find the best face for a chameleon candidate who makes “Zelig” look like a figure on Mt. Rushmore. Which Romney will run against Obama? There are dozens … [Read more...] about How Many Romneys for Mt. Rushmore?
The Syrian Uprising’s Interested Onlookers
Guest post by Ali Ezzatyar The Arab Awakening has a common denominator: the people want the downfall of the regime. It is a pretty good one, too. While it ensures nothing, it is the first, and perhaps the most difficult, of many steps before democracy. It goes without saying that each Arab country, with all of its distinctions, will see its individual route meet special … [Read more...] about The Syrian Uprising’s Interested Onlookers
Resolving Broken Promises: A Recipe for Economic Recovery
The US economy is growing stronger every month. GDP, total employment, and the stock market index are all rising while the unemployment rate is finally coming down. Still, despite the good news, there seems to be a notable lack of excitement and exuberance. This good news has been too long coming and the pace of economic growth remains lackluster compared to previous … [Read more...] about Resolving Broken Promises: A Recipe for Economic Recovery
The Folly of the Carry Laws- When Will America Learn?
The tragedy of the Trayvon Martin case in Florida highlights the madness of the “carry laws” allowing citizens to carry guns on the street to “protect themselves.” This folly is compounded by Florida’s “stand-your-ground” statute that permits people who feel their lives or safety are threatened, to use deadly force against the individual or individuals they believe are … [Read more...] about The Folly of the Carry Laws- When Will America Learn?
A Couple First Amendment Stories
A couple of interesting First Amendment related stories in the news. For those who don't know I am pretty absolutist when it comes to free speech. I recognize that there are circumstances where you may have to impose limits, but when I read "Congress Shall Make No Law" it seems to me that the language is clear. In the first case the LA City Council passed a non binding … [Read more...] about A Couple First Amendment Stories
Gong, Gong, Gong! (Guest Voice)
This is a Guest Voice column by Michael Reagan. JG) Gong, Gong, Gong! I don't know about you, but watching the Republican primary season is making me feel like a judge on the "The Gong Show." I watched or listened to all three candidates after Tuesday night's Illinois primary. I'm still crying. If Mitt, Newt and Rick had given those uninspiring speeches on Chuck … [Read more...] about Gong, Gong, Gong! (Guest Voice)
A Sex Scandal: Right?
Right... Yep. Right.. … [Read more...] about A Sex Scandal: Right?