SNL skewered Fox & Friends and Hank William's Jr.'s controversial comparisons of Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler: And here's the original for- real segment that got Hank Williams, Jr. axed from ESPN: The original almost plays like an SNL skit. I haven't blogged on this, but the (hideous, reprehensible) analogy apart, Williams made the mistake that some … [Read more...] about SNL Skewers Fox and Friends and Hank Williams Jr. Comparing Obama to Hitler
Herman Cain to Unemployed: Drop Dead (Guest Voice)
"Don't blame Wall Street. Don't blame the big banks. If you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself." Herman Cain OK, Herman Cain never told the nation's 14 million unemployed or underemployed Americans to drop dead. Neither, for that matter, did President Ford tell New York City to drop dead — as a famous headline in the New York Daily News proclaimed … [Read more...] about Herman Cain to Unemployed: Drop Dead (Guest Voice)
Blame Wall Street, Not China, for Job Losses (Guest Voice)
Blame Wall Street, Not China, for Job Losses by Jan Ting As the recession continues, the hunt for a scapegoat intensifies. No one in Washington wants to hold Wall Street accountable for its mega-profits from unregulated credit default swaps, packaged subprime liar loans, and incompetent credit ratings. Despite the resulting housing, banking and market collapse, and … [Read more...] about Blame Wall Street, Not China, for Job Losses (Guest Voice)
Protesting Wall Street
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Presbyterian Church Ordains Gay Minister
Good to see that they are willing to accept that God loves everyone. Sad that some feel the need to hate (I have no issue with those who have sincere difference of opinion as to Biblical position on homosexuality but some just hate.) … [Read more...] about Presbyterian Church Ordains Gay Minister
Raising Cain: Ron Paul Wins Values Voter Summit Straw Poll But Cain Strong, and Perry and Romney Weak
Former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain continues to rise and soon he'll probably get a lot of dough. Campaign contributions, that is. The latest: his strong showing in the Values Voter Summit straw poll which was another win for Rep. Ron Paul -- but the real focus will be on Cain, since Paul increasingly seems like too much of a niche candidate to go beyond a certain degree … [Read more...] about Raising Cain: Ron Paul Wins Values Voter Summit Straw Poll But Cain Strong, and Perry and Romney Weak
Occupy Wall Street Protests Spread to Canada? Here They Come
The Occupy Wall Street Protests are moving north. Under the banner "Occupy Toronto," protesters are due to take to the streets on October 15th. It's easy to dismiss these folks -- as many have -- as simply lazy kids with nothing better to do. But, as Tom Walkom writes in the Toronto Star, that would not be wise: While the aims of the Wall Streeters remain … [Read more...] about Occupy Wall Street Protests Spread to Canada? Here They Come
Americans and Execution: A Nation United By Vengeance (Le Nouvel Observateur, France)
Is the way America administers the death penalty about exacting justice, or just winning the next election? And does it live up to the ideals Americans say they hold dear? For France's Le Nouvel Observateur, Sandrine Ageorges-Skinner, one of the world's most tireless anti-death penalty campaigners, outlines the mind-numbing injustice of how execution is imposed in the United … [Read more...] about Americans and Execution: A Nation United By Vengeance (Le Nouvel Observateur, France)
How Do You Say “You’re Supposed to Stop at the Border” in Spanish? (Guest Voice)
How Do You Say “You’re Supposed to Stop at the Border” in Spanish? by John T. Johnson, III With 60,000 illegal immigrants giving birth to children in Texas each year; with thousands of illegal immigrants being sent to our prisons each year; with thousands receiving free medical care at our county hospitals each year; with the cost to educate … [Read more...] about How Do You Say “You’re Supposed to Stop at the Border” in Spanish? (Guest Voice)
Citizen Cane
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Romney Blasts the “Poisonous Language” of Mormons’ Critics (UPDATED)
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is now opening dealing with an issue that yours truly and some other analysts have long contended has slowly simmered in the Republican Party, limiting his poll numbers and a kind of ticking time bomb issue: bigotry among some aimed at his religion. Now, a day after it boiled over in the surface, he's starting to deal with the issue of … [Read more...] about Romney Blasts the “Poisonous Language” of Mormons’ Critics (UPDATED)
Bigotry and Mitt Romney: The Cult Problem
When an evangelical or the Family Research Council call Mormonism a cult, isn't the pot calling the kettle black? A Texas pastor introduced Rick Perry at a major conference of Christian conservatives here on Friday as “a genuine follower of Jesus Christ” and then walked outside and attacked Mitt Romney’s religion, calling the Mormon Church a cult and stating that Mr. … [Read more...] about Bigotry and Mitt Romney: The Cult Problem
Al-Awlaki’s Death Is NOT America’s Death (UPDATES)
Way too many times have I cringed when the religious right uses the Bible to justify evil and prejudice in our lives. Way too many times have I been infuriated when the political right has used the Constitution to support and justify acts of war, torture and rampant violations of civil rights. Way too many times have I been incensed when the Bush administration used … [Read more...] about Al-Awlaki’s Death Is NOT America’s Death (UPDATES)
The Hillary Effect: Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 Goes to Three Activist Women
WASHINGTON - It's another nod to the Hillary Effect. Congratulations to Liberia's Pres. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first female president of Africa, Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakul Karman of Yemen. The importance of women's role around the world elevated, with the Nobel committee making a statement and headline news, offers another change in the status quo. This is truly … [Read more...] about The Hillary Effect: Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 Goes to Three Activist Women
On the Death of an American and America
The killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, in the way it was done, cannot be allowed to stand. The president who ordered it has not acknowledged its terrifying implications, not made any attempt to redraw the judicial and moral line that he appears to have blurred or even erased, not admitted the problem raised by the obvious prima facie violation of the Constitution that his actions … [Read more...] about On the Death of an American and America
Wall Street Occupied by Tea Party of ‘Generation-Twitter’ (Die Welt, Germany)
Is the American left and center-left finally feeling its oats? As the protests on Wall Street spread across the country, the world is taking notice . For Germany's Die Welt, columnist Ansgar Graw writes that Americans who hardly know the meaning of thw word 'demonstration' have taken to the streets, and no one, least of all the protesters, knows where it will all lead. For … [Read more...] about Wall Street Occupied by Tea Party of ‘Generation-Twitter’ (Die Welt, Germany)
Elocution Election: Substance Doesn’t Count
The contest for the GOP presidential nomination is like one of those grade-school elocution contests, in which the winner was always the kid who declaimed the best, without the least idea of what he or she was talking about. Herman Cain is spouting nonsense, but he does it with enough verbal dexterity to keep pundits busy pointing out that none of it makes sense while Tea … [Read more...] about Elocution Election: Substance Doesn’t Count
A Sad Adieu To I.M. Pei’s Terminal 6 Masterpiece
Until I caught the journalism bug big time, I wanted to be an architect. As with many wannabe architects, Frank Lloyd Wright was my hero and I suspect had I actually followed him into the profession my buildings would have been influenced by his. That noted, I find much of modern architectural design to be boring, ugly or fetishistic, which is to say designed for the … [Read more...] about A Sad Adieu To I.M. Pei’s Terminal 6 Masterpiece
In Praise Of The American Garage
JOBS AND WOZNIAK AT WORK The company that revolutionized the way we work, live and recreate was started in that most American of places -- a garage. It was in the garage of a ranch house on a quiet suburban street in Los Altos, California where the late great innovator Steve Jobs and business partner Stephen Wozniak launched the Apple dynasty in 1976. It was in a … [Read more...] about In Praise Of The American Garage
Reid Uses “Nuclear Option” Which Will Become New Power Tool of Both Parties (UPDATED)
And so the nuclear option has been used by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Expect old arguments that were made so passionately years ago to be swept under the rug by those who used to advocate its use years ago (Republicans and news and old news media Republican analysts) and those who didn't (Democrats and old and new news media Republican analysts). But no matter what, … [Read more...] about Reid Uses “Nuclear Option” Which Will Become New Power Tool of Both Parties (UPDATED)