One week ago, Vice President Kamala Harris told a North Carolina audience that she planned to propose a federal ban on price gouging for food. https://twitter.com/fightmonopolies/status/1824526947596038520 In criticizing Harris, the Washington Post editorial board demonstrated its lack of basic economic theory. Then various news organizations jumped from "price gouging" … [Read more...] about What pundits don’t get about the Harris “price gouging” proposal
AN INSIDE PEEK INTO MAR-A-LAGO. BONE SPURS?
AN INSIDE PEEK INTO MAR-A-LOGO. BONE SPURS? This is confidential. Please don’t share this information. I have to protect my source. There’s a truck parked in front of the Delivery Entrance. There’s two words on it: TOWELS. DIAPERS. Why is that confidential? It turns out the Big Man is not sleeping at night. The perspiration is dripping off him like a raging river. And … [Read more...] about AN INSIDE PEEK INTO MAR-A-LAGO. BONE SPURS?
Pin-Ups for a Noble Cause
Twelve years ago, when I was a young septuagenarian, I penned a piece on an organization called "Operation Calendar." As the name implies, the group published calendars featuring stunning models. “A project designed to raise money for charities assisting wounded troops.” Depictions of attractive women, “pin-up girls,” have been around since times immemorial. In military … [Read more...] about Pin-Ups for a Noble Cause
America’s future is up for grabs and so is the world’s.
A ripple of relief is spreading over most European capitals and a few others at the astonishing rise of Kamala Harris but the undertow is still an anxious groan at Donald Trump’s seduction of acolytes to “Fight, fight, fight” and “Win, Win, Win”. Harris, too, exhorted her admirers at the Democratic National Convention, “When we fight, we win.” To her running mate Tim Walz’s … [Read more...] about America’s future is up for grabs and so is the world’s.
Pot. Kettle. Black. Trump whines about DNC speakers getting “personal.”
Barack Obama is a native born United States citizen. Yet in 2011, Donald Trump “wield[ed] his trademark innuendos and falsehoods” that Barack Obama was not a native born American and that he was secretly Muslim. The conspiracy theory was fake news, but that didn't stop Trump. Fast forward through 14 years of “Birdbrain” (Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley); … [Read more...] about Pot. Kettle. Black. Trump whines about DNC speakers getting “personal.”
Michelle Obama, superstar
Former first lady Michelle Obama wowed the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, with more than one observer call it "one of the best" convention speeches. She threw a bit of shade at Donald Trump when she asked, “Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?” She was alluding Trump's comment last month, when he told … [Read more...] about Michelle Obama, superstar
Democracy Decline
Democracies are in trouble both globally and domestically. Freedom House, a non-partisan organization that tracks global democracy, states that democracy on the planet peaked in 2006, and has consistently declined for the last 18 years. In 2006 eighty-nine countries were democratic, and in 2024 the number of democracies has dropped to seventy-four. Domestically, Americans are … [Read more...] about Democracy Decline
KAMALA HARRIS JOY SUNSHINE FLOWERS AND RAIN (CARTOON)
America’s Iran policy is a failure – piecemeal deterrence and sanctions can go only so far
Arie Perliger, UMass Lowell The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran in recent months is frequently explained as another extension of Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza. After all, Hamas enjoys a close relationship with Iran, and both share the goal of eliminating the Jewish state. But there’s more to it than that. As a scholar of security studies who has … [Read more...] about America’s Iran policy is a failure – piecemeal deterrence and sanctions can go only so far
America’s Growing Knowledge Deficit
When people generally think of a deficit, they are usually considering a business or a nation’s financial status. And it is true that the United States has been accumulating deficits and now has a huge national debt because the government spends more than it takes in with taxes. But the deficit I’m concerned about is not financial, but the deficit in knowledge and information … [Read more...] about America’s Growing Knowledge Deficit
President Joe Biden’s valedictory speech
If you are an east coast person who didn't want to stay up past midnight, you owe it to yourself to watch President Joe Biden's valedictory speech in toto. Grab a tissue; I did. https://youtu.be/Mxx69UtF0E4 Reading a transcript does not do it justice. Nor do any short clips. But this closing: Folks, all of us carry a special obligation. Independents, Republicans, … [Read more...] about President Joe Biden’s valedictory speech
Trump to hold “crime and safety” rally in Michigan city known for White Supremacy
PUBLISHED Aug 18; UPDATED Aug 20 Reuters picked up the story. The Harris campaign highlights Trump rally at "KKK capital of Michigan" Associated Press does not mention the notoriety associated with Howell On Tuesday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is holding a "crime and safety" rally in Howell, Michigan. Howell is the site of a White … [Read more...] about Trump to hold “crime and safety” rally in Michigan city known for White Supremacy
The sudden political rise of Kamala Harris echoes that of another female politician, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern
Kamala Harris’ quick, unexpected transformation from a low-profile vice president to the headline-dominating Democratic presidential nominee has upended the 2024 election in just a few short weeks. Across the Pacific Ocean, Harris’ story may resonate with New Zealanders, like myself, who see parallels with Jacinda Ardern, a young, politically astute liberal, and her sudden … [Read more...] about The sudden political rise of Kamala Harris echoes that of another female politician, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern
Heroes, Veterans, Others Speak Out on Trump’s Slander of Medal of Honor Recipients
The backlash to Trump’s recent comments belittling the Medal of Honor and its recipients continues unabatedly – as it should. Harris spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said in a statement: Donald Trump knows nothing about service to anyone or anything but himself. For him to insult Medal of Honor recipients, just as he has previously attacked Gold Star families, mocked … [Read more...] about Heroes, Veterans, Others Speak Out on Trump’s Slander of Medal of Honor Recipients
A REAL MENSCH
Armed and Underground: Inside the Turbulent, Secret World of an American Militia
Armed and Underground: Inside the Turbulent, Secret World of an American MilitiaJoshua KaplanProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.Reporting HighlightsMilitias After Jan. 6: Internal messages reveal how AP3, one of the largest U.S. militias, rose even as prosecutors … [Read more...] about Armed and Underground: Inside the Turbulent, Secret World of an American Militia
DUCK BURNS GOUGE (CARTOON)
Visit Clay Jones' website and email him at [email protected]. … [Read more...] about DUCK BURNS GOUGE (CARTOON)
US voters say they’re ready for a woman president – but sexist attitudes still go along with opposition to Harris
Could Americans’ sexism tank yet another woman’s quest for the U.S. presidency? AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast Adam Eichen, UMass Amherst; Jesse Rhodes, UMass Amherst, and Tatishe Nteta, UMass Amherst Since President Joe Biden exited the presidential race on July 21, 2024, and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic … [Read more...] about US voters say they’re ready for a woman president – but sexist attitudes still go along with opposition to Harris
Harris and Trump policies on the economy: there’s no comparison
Both Vice President Kamala Harris (D) and former president Donald Trump (R) gave speeches last week focused on their policy proposals for the U.S. economy. How to compare the two candidates? I'm taking the tactic proposed by media critic James Fallows: treat the candidates like Olympic journalists covering athletes: No sports writer would present [Simone] Biles and … [Read more...] about Harris and Trump policies on the economy: there’s no comparison
WaPo editorial board demonstrates it doesn’t understand economics
In an editorial criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris for her speech on Friday, the Washington Post claimed that it’s “hard to see how groceries” qualify as a perpetrator of “excessive” profits. A lesson in market concentration is overdue. Markets are ‘concentrated’ when a few companies control a substantial percentage of the market. Concentrated markets are not a … [Read more...] about WaPo editorial board demonstrates it doesn’t understand economics