The upshot of the Bush Torture Regime -- the systematic use of Nazi-like interrogation techniques against foes and friends like -- has been deeply dissatisfying. The mainstream news media has been studiously uncurious about the criminal behavior of top administration officials and their lackies, and none have been held accountable. But that may be about to change. A … [Read more...] about Will Rumsfeld Finally Be Held Accountable For Authorizing The Use of Torture?
President Romney?
It’s looking like 1976 again. A nation suffering from political post-traumatic stress syndrome (Watergate then, the economy now) is shying away from more of the same in Washington and ready for a less polarizing president or, in a more cynical view, open to the idea of keeping the Oval Office vacant. Back then, enter Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer who had gone to the Naval … [Read more...] about President Romney?
Mad Leadership
No, not "mad" as in Tea Party anger. Instead, we're talking "mad" as in A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness. Stephen Colbert did an excellent interview with its author, Dr. Nassir Ghaemi, professor of psychiatry and director of the Mood Disorders program at Tufts University Medical Center. Ghaemi says strong conviction, … [Read more...] about Mad Leadership
Congress + The FAA + U.S. Airlines = What’s Wrong With America
I was dumbfounded when I first read that between July 23 and August 7 American airlines would not be collecting federal ticket taxes because our straightjacketed Congress failed to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration. I was outraged when I read that American airlines raised ticket prices by the amount of the tax (exceptions: Alaska, Hawaiian, Spirit) but did not … [Read more...] about Congress + The FAA + U.S. Airlines = What’s Wrong With America
Making Sense Of The #UKRiots
I was offline most of the weekend and Monday, so you can imagine my shock when I turned to Tweetdeck this morning and the first thing I saw was tweets about riots in the U.K. I found some articles to help bring me up to speed and provide some context. There were shocking bits: One journalist wrote that he was surprised how many people in Tottenham knew of and were critical … [Read more...] about Making Sense Of The #UKRiots
GOP Appears To Hold Wisconsin Senate, Some Dems Claim Fraud
There were six Senators facing recall tonight in Wisconsin, all of them Republicans. For the Democrats to take back the chamber they needed to win 3 and it appears they fell one short. State Senator Dan Kapanke lost as expected (his district is strongly Democratic). Margin looks to be 56-44. Senate Senator Randy Hopper also lost and this was also expected due to the … [Read more...] about GOP Appears To Hold Wisconsin Senate, Some Dems Claim Fraud
Quote of the Day: Is It Time for England to Confront Its Race-Related Issues?
Our Quote of the Day is actually part of a must-read post in The Huffington Post by Lola Adesioye on the ongoing riots in England: In 2011, it's shameful that any of England's citizens feel that violence is the best way in which to express frustration. Watching live online footage of yesterday's rioting in Tottenham from America, I was thrown back to yesteryear. This … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Is It Time for England to Confront Its Race-Related Issues?
And it’s one, two, three
And it's one, two, three, What are we fighting for ? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn, Next stop is Vietnam; And it's five, six, seven, Open up the pearly gates, Well there ain't no time to wonder why, Whoopee! we're all gonna die. Country Joe and the Fish Those of us who are old enough to remember Vietnam - yes that includes me, although I was never in … [Read more...] about And it’s one, two, three
Evaluation BS (Guest Voice)
Evaluation BS by Steve Suranovic The economic news is riveting this week especially to an economist, but it amazes me all the BS I hear and read about as people are asked to assess the situation. Harry Frankfurt, a Princeton philosophy Professor, wrote a brief treatise titled “On Bulls---” a few years ago in which he tried to answer an obvious question, “Why is there so … [Read more...] about Evaluation BS (Guest Voice)
How Much Is that F-35 in the Window?
How much is that F-35 in the Window? Some will say, if you have to ask how much it costs, you can't afford that puppy. But since that question is so frequently and persistently asked, let's first take a good look at the puppy. It is a pedigree puppy that has been carefully "developed" following years of exhaustive and expensive research and selective breeding in order … [Read more...] about How Much Is that F-35 in the Window?
You Can’t Escape Suggestive Selling In Life or the Media
SAN DIEGO, California — This time I was about to get on my plane at San Diego International Airport when I went to the newsstand to buy a copy of the Los Angeles Times. As the clerk rang it up she asked me in a robot-like type tone: “Do you want a sweatshirt with that?” “No,” I told her. “How about a book?” “No.” “Crayons?” “No.” “Breath mints?” “I don’t … [Read more...] about You Can’t Escape Suggestive Selling In Life or the Media
Wedgie Issues
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Wedgie Issues
Washington Must Act to Strengthen the Dollar (Asahi Shimbun, Japan)
The odd set of circumstances that has led to a credit downgrade of U.S. debt, a weakened dollar and hence a stronger yen, is setting off alarm bells in Tokyo and around the world. This editorial from Japan's Asahi Shimbun explains the phenomena to readers and comes close to begging Washington to do something to reverse the trend, which is damaging Japan's post-quake … [Read more...] about Washington Must Act to Strengthen the Dollar (Asahi Shimbun, Japan)
Before Preaching to Other Nations, the United States Must Reform Itself (Huanqiu, People’s Republic of China)
Is it time for the United States to stop standing up for human rights and democratic reform in other nations and start taking its own advice at home? According to this article by the thought-to-be-fictitious Communist Party columnist Ding Gang, U.S. presidents should stop inflaming China by meeting the Dalai Lama and selling weapons to democratic Taiwan, and start figuring out … [Read more...] about Before Preaching to Other Nations, the United States Must Reform Itself (Huanqiu, People’s Republic of China)
(UPDATED) Why The Global Financial Meltdown Is Like A Conflagration On A Distant Planet
I haven't invested in stocks since the dot com bubble burst in March 2000 and my 401(k) was pretty much wiped out even though my investments were toward the conservative side. When the dust had settled, I was out about $60,000, a not inconsiderable sum that would have come in handy when it came time to retire in 2009. Well, I'm still working. Nearly half of American … [Read more...] about (UPDATED) Why The Global Financial Meltdown Is Like A Conflagration On A Distant Planet
The Look Of Rage
Back in February 1994, the height of my Black Nationalism days, I remember Time Magazine came out with an article about Minister Louis Farrakhan called "Ministry of Rage". I was livid yet pleased. How dare Time Magazine called the man that I used to idolized a man of rage? I thought then "Yeah he has righteous rage against those that look at we black folks as less than … [Read more...] about The Look Of Rage
The Heartbreak of the Navy Seals’ Deaths in Afghanistan: Faces Behind the Numbers
And so we remember -- but never forget there were human beings behind the cold numbers of the 30 who died when insurgents shot down there helicopter. Faces behind the names. And here they are. … [Read more...] about The Heartbreak of the Navy Seals’ Deaths in Afghanistan: Faces Behind the Numbers
Inherit the Wind
Forty two years ago, I was preparing to teach my first classes. I had spent the summer at the University of North Carolina, studying John Dewey, Jerome Bruner, Carl Rogers and American Literature. I was one of about fifty students who were about to enter the public schools as teacher interns. We taught during the day, went to school at night, and were visited frequently by the … [Read more...] about Inherit the Wind
Agencies Such as Jewish Federation Struggle With Debt Ceiling Limit Deal Impact: Budget Cuts
The debt ceiling limit deal will be felt in many ways, and it's already being felt in one area: social agencies such as the Jewish Federation are feeling the financial pinch more than ever -- and it raises some other issues as well. Here's a must-read article from the Jewish Daily Foward: The budget deal in Washington and the near certainty of steep declines in federal … [Read more...] about Agencies Such as Jewish Federation Struggle With Debt Ceiling Limit Deal Impact: Budget Cuts
Our Politicians, Downgraded and Degraded
Our political warriors today have an instinct for their own jugulars, bleeding America with self-inflicted wounds in a time of turmoil. A century ago, Theodore Roosevelt famously said: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. “The credit belongs to the man who is … [Read more...] about Our Politicians, Downgraded and Degraded