Guest post by Ali Ezzatyar Ali Ezzatyar is a journalist and American attorney practising in Paris, France. He is a frequent contributor to TMV and The Reaction. Qaddafi's death well and truly spells the end of another Arab dictatorship. Three out of the four out-and-out Arab dictatorships in North Africa have fallen in the last year. Now is a good time to take a step back … [Read more...] about The Meaning of the Libyan Revolution and Qaddafi’s Death
President Obama Declares: ‘Mission Not Accomplished’ & It Never Would Have Been
After eight and a half deeply tragic years highlighted by the deaths of nearly 4,800 U.S. and coalition forces, at least 100,000 Iraqis and millions of people displaced, the Iraq war finally is over. President Obama, on a military and foreign policy roll, announced yesterday a complete drawn-down of U.S. troops at year's end after he failed to reach agreement with Iraqi … [Read more...] about President Obama Declares: ‘Mission Not Accomplished’ & It Never Would Have Been
BREAKING NEWS: All U.S. Forces to Leave Iraq by Year’s End (UPDATED).
The Washington Post reports that the Obama administration has decided to withdraw all U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of the year after failing to reach an agreement with the Iraqi government. The agreement would have left several thousand troops there for special operations and training. President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki spoke Friday morning to … [Read more...] about BREAKING NEWS: All U.S. Forces to Leave Iraq by Year’s End (UPDATED).
Saving Aimee Shines (A Review of Kathie Lee Gifford’s New Musical)
I just witnessed the official premiere of Saving Aimee at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theater. First breath requires I honor the spectacular radiance of Saving Aimee's lead, Carolee Carmello. Her portrayal of Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson is best categorized as anointed. It would be inappropriate to avoid religious imagery in relaying her gloriously captivating performance. … [Read more...] about Saving Aimee Shines (A Review of Kathie Lee Gifford’s New Musical)
Quote of the day
Romney’s rhetoric is more informed than Michele Bachmann’s, less nutty than Ron Paul’s, and less self-admiring than Newt Gingrich’s, but his line on Obama’s record on national security and foreign policy is a sham. Obama is responsible for an aggressive assault on Al Qaeda, including the killing of bin Laden, in Pakistan, and of Anwar al-Awlaki, in Yemen. Beginning with his … [Read more...] about Quote of the day
Remember, Sometimes Facts Don’t Matter
On The Media remembers a study last year finding that sometimes misinformed people become more convinced of their opinions even when given the facts: Mr. BRENDAN NYHAN (Robert Wood Johnson Scholar in Health Policy Research, University of Michigan):... it's threatening to us to admit that things we believe are wrong. And all of us, liberals and conservatives, you know, have … [Read more...] about Remember, Sometimes Facts Don’t Matter
10 Observations On The Death of Quaddafi
A Yemeni boy watches the funeral of people killed this week in protests Observations in the wake of the death of Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi: * The victory of middle-class professionals, rag-tag militias and tribal forces over a well-equipped, well-trained military in a relatively brief civil war is enormous. * Given the many conflicting stories, a full accounting of … [Read more...] about 10 Observations On The Death of Quaddafi
Gallup Poll: Obama Job Approval Rating Slides to New Low in 11th Quarter
A new Gallup poll has more bad news for President Barack Obama, who would be pronounced burnt political toast if there was a strong Republican alternative facing him today: President Barack Obama's 11th quarter in office was the worst of his administration, based on his quarterly average job approval ratings. His 41% approval average is down six percentage points from his 10th … [Read more...] about Gallup Poll: Obama Job Approval Rating Slides to New Low in 11th Quarter
The Case for Hillary as VP
A year ago, Washington rumors had Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton switching jobs for 2012, and that was before the Tea Party wrecking crew came in, brought government to a standstill and created an anti-Obama climate that threatens a hostile takeover of the White House next year. (President Perry? Cain? A compliant Romney?) The idea was dismissed out of hand back then, even … [Read more...] about The Case for Hillary as VP
Spain’s Basque Separatist ETA Group Announces “Definitive” End to Violence
If this announcement is to be believed, Spain has now made a shift nearly as important as the end of the Spanish civil war, the death of dictator Francisco Franco, the approval of Spain's first post-war democratic constitution and the first democratic election in post-Civil War Spain: the Basque separatist ETA has announced that this time it's for real: it's is deep-sixing its … [Read more...] about Spain’s Basque Separatist ETA Group Announces “Definitive” End to Violence
Are You Better Off
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Are You Better Off
Call For Photos For A Worthy Cause
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund has launched a huge undertaking -- a nationwide campaign to collect a photograph for each of the 58,272 men and women whose names are inscribed on The Wall in Washington, D.C., which has become the single most-visited memorial in the capital. The photographs will be displayed in a future education center at The Wall and also will appear … [Read more...] about Call For Photos For A Worthy Cause
Philosophy in the age of OWS
As I read this: Thirteen Observations made by Lemony Snicket while watching Occupy Wall Street from a Discreet Distance It sounded familiar but I couldn't figure out why. It sounds a bit like Eastern philosophy but at the same time it sounds a bit like Ambrose Bierce. But to be fare perhaps it's unique - you decide. My favorites: 2. “Fortune” is a word for having a … [Read more...] about Philosophy in the age of OWS
Man’s Inhumanity to Man, Texas-Style: No Weekend Lunch For Prisoners
How far do they have to go to offend the American people's sensibilities? You will remember that Texas ended the practice of last meals for death-row inmates. Now no lunch on weekends: Thousands of inmates in the Texas prison system have been eating fewer meals since April after officials stopped serving lunch on the weekends in some prisons as a way to cut food-service costs. … [Read more...] about Man’s Inhumanity to Man, Texas-Style: No Weekend Lunch For Prisoners
VA Updates Agent Orange Information
Part of the U.S. military strategy during the Vietnam War was to remove the heavy foliage that provided cover for the enemy through the use of herbicides. "Agent Orange" is the name given to a blend of herbicides the U.S. military sprayed from 1962 to 1971 in Vietnam to remove such foliage. The name “Agent Orange” comes from the orange identifying stripe used on the … [Read more...] about VA Updates Agent Orange Information
Gadhafi’s Last Humiliating Moments In Photos
MailOnline is a British website (for the Daily Mail) that really has the profuse use of photos and videos down to an art. THIS POST on the final moments alive of Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi really is a classic -- but not for the squeamish. It's almost a class case of someone how behaved like he was in the gutter returning to the gutter, a dictator who seemed so … [Read more...] about Gadhafi’s Last Humiliating Moments In Photos
Lincoln’s Lessons for Obama
WASHINGTON -- Can President Obama take advantage of the egalitarian sentiment let loose in the country by the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations? Would doing so be consistent with the moderate, conciliatory persona he has cultivated? The best response comes not from polls but from history. Eric Foner's magnificent book on Abraham Lincoln's evolving views on the slavery … [Read more...] about Lincoln’s Lessons for Obama
Secy. Clinton Mocks Herman Cain (the video)
WASHINGTON - Being glib, Herman Cain's "Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan" comment is finally coming back to haunt him, as it should. In many polls, Cain is either in second place or leading. Considering what happened in Libya today, it matters if a person running to be commander in chief knows the world's actors. We can all imagine if Barack Obama had said something like … [Read more...] about Secy. Clinton Mocks Herman Cain (the video)
Why I Still Back Obama to Win it All in 2012
I still hold the unpopular view that President Obama will win a second term in office. With the election being just over a year away, his daily Gallup poll number sitting just under 40% and the unemployment number still above 9%, I can understand why some may call me delusional. I hold this position because of two reasons, Obama himself and the field which is set out against … [Read more...] about Why I Still Back Obama to Win it All in 2012
The Wall Street Journal: Perry Campaign Chartered Plane Used in Cocaine-Smuggling Ring
I have made it perfectly clear in my posts and comments that I disapprove of Rick Perry for his performance as Texas governor, for his poor and petty performance in the presidential debates and for the policies he would pursue should he be elected President. I may have made some fun of him, such as with his Pet Rock at his family’s ranch and I may have used some less than … [Read more...] about The Wall Street Journal: Perry Campaign Chartered Plane Used in Cocaine-Smuggling Ring