Why the Rush To Pass the American Jobs Act? by Susan Stamper Brown As the Democratic National Committee (DNC) launches an ad campaign in battleground states to promote rapid passage of President Barack Obama's "American Jobs Act," I cannot help but to ask, "Why the rush, Mr. President?" While proposed payroll tax cuts would be useful to hard-working coupon-clipping … [Read more...] about Why the Rush To Pass the American Jobs Act (Guest Voice)
Obama, GOP and Jobs
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Why I (Now) Feel Sorry For George W. Bush
Perhaps I am going soft in my dotage, but I felt a twinge of sorrow for George Bush as he stood next to Barack Obama during the 9/11 anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero on Sunday morning. There was that familiar facial expression somewhere between a smirk and bewilderment, and a reminder that his greatest legacy will forever be launching the wrong war in the wrong place at the … [Read more...] about Why I (Now) Feel Sorry For George W. Bush
The Mayans Push Back About ‘the Myth’ of 2012
A quixotic and magnetic new film has been made by Dawn Gifford Engle in which Nobel peace Prize awardees such as Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Rigoberta Menchu Tum and other notables speak about the actual Mayan meaning of the end of the year 2012. There is a good long film clips here... A few years back, there arose a media-inflated rumor about 2012, … [Read more...] about The Mayans Push Back About ‘the Myth’ of 2012
Exploitation of Children in Beauty Contests, or No?
She is about four years old... by Amelia Alisoun Parental exploitation Obviously it is not the tiny children parading across the stage in Vegas showgirl atture who have chosen to be there. It is the parents, most often the mothers, who have carted their child around the country, taken them to salon after salon for various physical treatments, forced them the … [Read more...] about Exploitation of Children in Beauty Contests, or No?
Michelle Bachmann Accused Rick Perry of Something Seeming Related To Eugenics and/or Logrolling
The word eugenics was not used in Bachmann/ Perry argument. But, here is the definition. Does the matter they are discussing tilt into this: EUGENICS: the science of improving a human population... by controlled breeding to increase the occurrence of desirable heritable characteristics. Developed largely by Francis Galton as a method of improving the human race, it fell into … [Read more...] about Michelle Bachmann Accused Rick Perry of Something Seeming Related To Eugenics and/or Logrolling
Commenting Moderation Concerns Addressed
Dear TMV Readers and Commenters. We have found some abuse and a loophole in the comment moderation tools. Because of this, we have been forced do some hard verification of access and other features on the site. This has cleared moderation queues due the loophole and abuse. Thus effectively giving all who are in good standing full commenting privileges again. Commenting … [Read more...] about Commenting Moderation Concerns Addressed
9-11, Hysteria and Women’s Health
For most people, today is the day-after 9-11. For me, it's the 10-year anniversary of a different life-changing event. I don't watch television in the daytime, and I rarely watch live TV. I learned about 9-11 when Mike came home from work early. The first thing I did was call Bill West, Sr. in Dawson, Georgia -- because his daughter, my best friend since high school, … [Read more...] about 9-11, Hysteria and Women’s Health
Doubling the 9/11 Dead
The weekend was spent mourning almost 3000 Americans who were killed on September 11, 2001. In the aftermath of that day, more than 6200 have died in Iraq and Afghanistan with the toll still rising. The 9/11 dead were victims of a vicious attack on American civilization. Those since then were put in harm’s way by the conscious decision of our political and military … [Read more...] about Doubling the 9/11 Dead
Democratic Self-Loathing Puts Weiner Seat in Play **UPDATED**
WASHINGTON - Republicans don't have the Democratic gene of self-loathing. They're permanently self-righteous, which is why Sen. Vitter is still in the Senate. In the hall of stupidity, former Rep. Anthony Weiner holds a special place. However, when you analyze his "crime" that's what it comes down to, because there was no sex. So, compliments of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Rep. … [Read more...] about Democratic Self-Loathing Puts Weiner Seat in Play **UPDATED**
Behold The Pro-Cancer, Let The Elderly Eat Catfood Republican Presidential Field
It should be made clear from the jump that the winnowing-out process to determine which Republican faces Barack Obama next year is working as intended even if at times it more resembles the making of sausage than democracy in action. After all, the 2008 Democratic field had no fewer than eight would-be worthies at the starting gate, including Christopher Dodd, Mike Gravel, Evan … [Read more...] about Behold The Pro-Cancer, Let The Elderly Eat Catfood Republican Presidential Field
Take a Peek at Ezra Klein’s New Washington Post Wonkblog Group Blog
Since I learned what a blog WAS in 2003 and started TMV in December 2003 (the original site was on Blogger) Ezra Klein has been one of my favorite must-read bloggers. I first started reading him when he was doing a blog from college. He was always one of the more solid Internet analysts who didn't sound like a tiresome, wannabe polarizing radio talk show host or someone puking … [Read more...] about Take a Peek at Ezra Klein’s New Washington Post Wonkblog Group Blog
Should The Law Stand Up For Ugly People?
Should The Law Stand Up For Ugly People? Tyrades! By Danny Tyree If you have the sort of face that only a mother could love, you may not be surprised by the ugly truths documented by Daniel Hamermesh. Hamermesh, a University of Texas at Austin economist and author of "Beauty Pays," puts forth the provocative proposition that "ugly people" deserve to be legally protected … [Read more...] about Should The Law Stand Up For Ugly People?
How Much Has Obama Learned?
WASHINGTON -- Our political system is not accustomed to the kind of battle that is going on now. President Obama has been slow to adjust to it. The voters are understandably mystified and frustrated by it. In the meantime, the economy sits on the edge between stagnation and something worse. The president's speech to Congress and the Republican presidential debate last … [Read more...] about How Much Has Obama Learned?
Jingoism and 911 ten years latter
Jingoism is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as extreme patriotism in the form of aggressive foreign policy. In practice, it is a country's advocation of the use of threats or actual force against other countries in order to safeguard what it perceives as its national interests. Colloquially, it refers to excessive bias in judging one's own country as superior to … [Read more...] about Jingoism and 911 ten years latter
Turkey Unmasked
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Ten Years After 9/11: Time to Choose to Be America Again?
Since 9-11, it seems that the American Left and the American Right have agreed on something of profound importance: we're scared. The politics of the last decade have been the politics of fear. Because of fear that one of us is a terrorist, we've allowed our intelligence services to listen into our private conversations; because of fear of terrorists from abroad, we have … [Read more...] about Ten Years After 9/11: Time to Choose to Be America Again?
Ground Zero
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My 2¢ Worth on the 9-11 Anniversary
The commemoration of the tenth anniversary has become the world's largest blog essay contest, and, while I cannot hope to succeed in such an outpouring of virtual (and actual) ink, I will say this: … [Read more...] about My 2¢ Worth on the 9-11 Anniversary
After September 11, We ‘Lost What We Wanted to Defend’ (Sydsvenskan, Sweden)
What have we sacrificed in the process of pursuing the 'War on Terror'? Continuing with our global coverage of the 9-11 anniversary, in this moving article from Sweden's Sydsvenskan, columnist Heidi Avellan writes that no matter how hard it may be, hatred must be met with love, and our principles mustn't be sacrificed in the pursuit of vengeance. For Sweden's Sydsvenskan, … [Read more...] about After September 11, We ‘Lost What We Wanted to Defend’ (Sydsvenskan, Sweden)