These are boom times if you are a collector of ironies, and none may larger than despite the fact that President Obama has been repeatedly accused of being weak on fighting terrorism by the Republican national security choir, he has been more successful in three short years than the bombastic and serially reckless Bush administration was in eight. The aggressive Obama … [Read more...] about Anwar Al-Awlaki’s Carnival Of Ironies
“Nothing off the table” in U.S. Response to Iranian Plot, Biden Says
Vice President Joe Biden says that "nothing is off the table" in the U.S. response to the Iranian plot: video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player Here's some of the ABC News website report on the interview: Vice President Joe Biden said today that "nothing has been taken off the table" when it comes to the U.S. response to an alleged plot by Iran to … [Read more...] about “Nothing off the table” in U.S. Response to Iranian Plot, Biden Says
Frank Kameny Dead At 86
Of natural causes, yesterday, at his home in Washington, DC. I was lucky enough to have interviewed Kameny nearly thirty years ago, and to have visited him in his home, while working on the film Before Stonewall. Together we dug through his collection of memorabilia. He showed me the State Department letter confirming that it “does not hire homosexuals and does not … [Read more...] about Frank Kameny Dead At 86
Not Excited About Romney
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Book Review: Norwich’s Absolute Monarchs: A History Of The Papacy’
Anti-Semitic Pope Pius XII leaves a meeting with Adolph Hitler There have been 265 Roman Catholic popes, 266 if you count Pope Joan, who existed only in the popular imagination in the Middle Ages, and these don't count various usurpers, interlopers and antipopes. To paraphrase Longfellow, some of the real popes were good, some were bad and some were horrid. Regular … [Read more...] about Book Review: Norwich’s Absolute Monarchs: A History Of The Papacy’
Fame as Disease; Celebrity as Illness (conclusion)
There's a difference between Flo Ziegfeld's shameless 1896 scandal publicity and the corporate machine that was MGM's 1949 publicity, which brings us to the present day. You see, Ziegfeld was selling sex to a society that didn't allow women's ankles to be exposed in public, while MGM was pouring an endless glop of corny wholesomeness on the pancakes of sentimental hogwash to … [Read more...] about Fame as Disease; Celebrity as Illness (conclusion)
Republican Debate Aftermath Conventional Wisdom: Rick Perry Fails Again (UPDATED)
The conventional wisdom on last night's GOP Presidential debate in New Hampshire is coming in. It's three pronged. And not good news for Rick Perry. Three strands are emerging: 1. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney put in another good performance. It's increasingly becoming easier for many conservative Republicans to envision him as a nominee who could not just hold the … [Read more...] about Republican Debate Aftermath Conventional Wisdom: Rick Perry Fails Again (UPDATED)
The Alleged Iranian Plot Could Drag the US Into Hate-filled Quicksand
The fallouts of the alleged Iranian attempt to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington will heighten Middle East tensions, even as pressure grows on Israelis and Palestinians to sit again at the peace table. If the allegations turn out to be true, the Saudi’s will put intense pressure on the Obama administration for exemplary and swift action. The risk is that the White … [Read more...] about The Alleged Iranian Plot Could Drag the US Into Hate-filled Quicksand
Senate Republicans Block Obama’s Jobs Bill
With their vote on a motion to proceed, the Senate avoids even a real debate on the jobs bill. The BBC: Forty-six Republican senators joined with two Democrats to filibuster the $447bn (£287bn) bill. Democratic support for the bill wavered this week, as several Democrats said they would vote for moving the bill forward, but against the bill itself. Republicans opposed … [Read more...] about Senate Republicans Block Obama’s Jobs Bill
Will 2012 Be the Republican Party’s ‘Oh No You Don’t’ Year?
HOLDERNESS, N.H — Reports suggest New Hampshire voters haven’t focused on the national politics invading their state yet, and it’s hard to understand why. Republican Presidential nomination hopefuls are visiting here as dutifully, hungrily and reverentially as Republican politicos at a private Koch Brothers seminar. Rep. Michele Bachmann, ex-conservative-flavor-of-the-week … [Read more...] about Will 2012 Be the Republican Party’s ‘Oh No You Don’t’ Year?
Chris Christie Endorses Mitt Romney
UPDATE... Fox News: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, just one week after definitively announcing he will not run for president in 2012, endorsed Mitt Romney for the job Tuesday afternoon. Christie, at a news conference in Hanover, N.H., described the endorsement as an "easy decision." He cited Romney's experience in the private and public sectors, saying he "brings the best … [Read more...] about Chris Christie Endorses Mitt Romney
Live Longer: Come Out of The Closet
Happy Coming Out Day. Come Out. It's good for you... "The more you’re in the closet, the worse for you," says Robert Trivers, a Professor of Anthropology and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University. "There is an immunological dimension to self-deception." In his new book (out in the UK, Deceit and Self-Deception: Fooling Yourself the Better to Fool Others, and coming … [Read more...] about Live Longer: Come Out of The Closet
Will Jon Huntsman’s Sanity Sell?
The clearest voice for sanity in the GOP race has gone all in for tonight’s New Hampshire debate with a foreign-policy speech that actually makes sense. But will sanity sell? “We still have remnants of a top-heavy, post-cold war infrastructure,” Jon Huntsman says. “It needs to be transformed to reflect the 21st Century world and the growing asymmetric threats we … [Read more...] about Will Jon Huntsman’s Sanity Sell?
Mitt Romney and the “Mormon Question”
The latest dust-up on the already tedious 2012 presidential campaign trail was triggered several days ago when a pastor and Rick Perry supporter told interviewers that Christians should refrain from voting for Mormon candidates like Mitt Romney (and presumably, Jon Huntsman too) for president because, he asserted, Mormonism is a cult. As a Christian pastor myself … [Read more...] about Mitt Romney and the “Mormon Question”
Al-Awlaki and John Yoo: An Endorsement We Can Do Without
As has been apparent from previous posts (here and here), I support the Obama administration’s decision to take out American-born, terrorist-turned, traitor Anwar al-Awlaki before he could do any more harm to America and Americans. My opinion was reinforced when I read that al-Qaeda---the same gang of terrorists that massacred more than 3,000 innocent American men, women … [Read more...] about Al-Awlaki and John Yoo: An Endorsement We Can Do Without
UN Report: Torture Common in Afghanistan
Are local forces ready to take control in Afghanistan? Troubling questions are raised by a UN report, The Christian Science Monitor reports: Half of all detainees in Afghan intelligence service custody have been tortured, according to a new United Nations report that raises grave concerns about the Afghan security force personnel that the United States and its NATO … [Read more...] about UN Report: Torture Common in Afghanistan
Guitar Hero
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The American Autumn: Children of the Lost Decade Revolt (Guest Voice)
The American Autumn: Children of the Lost Decade Revolt by Tina Dupuy The movement known as the tea party started in the mainstream media, on a national show. CNBC's Rick Santelli, fired what cable news would later dub "the shot heard around the world" in 2009, when he lamented paying for the mortgages of the "losers" who couldn't pay their bills. "President Obama, are you … [Read more...] about The American Autumn: Children of the Lost Decade Revolt (Guest Voice)
Fame as Disease; Celebrity as Illness (part ii)
We return to the story of Anna Held, Florenz Ziegfeld's meal ticket from 1895 ... The 1896 Broadway revival of A Parlor Match had two musical highlights – the hit song "Daisy Bell" (also known as "A Bicycle Built for Two"), and Anna Held's performance of the playful "Won't You Come and Play With Me?" To guarantee ongoing publicity, Ziegfeld let out word that Held took daily … [Read more...] about Fame as Disease; Celebrity as Illness (part ii)
(UPDATED) Why The Republicans’ Class Warfare Tactics Will Come Back To Haunt Them
There is something comical, even farcical, to the reaction of the oligarchs and their congressional and news media helpmates to the growing Occupy Wall Street protests, which have laid bare the reality that our so-called democratic system is rigged to benefit the wealthiest 1 percent at the sacrifice of the other 99 percent. The protests will be a failure as a means of … [Read more...] about (UPDATED) Why The Republicans’ Class Warfare Tactics Will Come Back To Haunt Them