Troy Anthony Davis: Troy Davis is set to be executed by the state of Georgia on September 21st for a crime he may not have committed. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear his final appeal earlier this year. But the story remains the same – Troy Davis could very well be innocent. Davis was convicted on the basis of witness testimony – seven of the nine original witnesses … [Read more...] about Troy Anthony Davis: Probably Innocent; About To Be Executed
Dakota Meyer’s Medal of Honor Award Ceremony (UPDATED)
I hope that many of our readers had the opportunity to watch the moving White House ceremony for the presentation of the Medal of Honor to Marine Sergeant Dakota Meyer. According to one reader, the view here at TMV was "[b]etter than TV by a ton." Above a White House photo of Dakota Meyer having a beer with the President yesterday at a White House patio. The Marine hero … [Read more...] about Dakota Meyer’s Medal of Honor Award Ceremony (UPDATED)
Obamacare: A Reason To Believe
Jonathan Cohn at TNR finds one: Need a reason to believe the Affordable Care Act is starting to work? The Census Bureau just gave you a half million of them. That’s how many young adults had health insurance in 2010, as compared to 2009, according to the official estimates. Or, to put it another way, the proportion of 18- to 24-year olds without health insurance fell, by … [Read more...] about Obamacare: A Reason To Believe
Obama Under Pressure on Entitlement Cuts
WASHINGTON - Yesterday, the Financial Times laid out what has been talked about for months and months, with Pres. Obama set to deliver a speech on deficit reduction on Monday. The FT begins with the argument of how the U.S. government measures inflation, which would deliver "a less generous chained-consumer price index," to quote FT. Today the White House pushed back, … [Read more...] about Obama Under Pressure on Entitlement Cuts
Oh Those Wild & Crazy Italians: Kind Of Like The French Without The Fries
If you need a break from the serial hijinks and buffoonery of the American political scene, look no further than Italy. What's going on there is hilarious if you overlook the fact that Prime Minister Silvio "Bunga Bunga" Berlusconi could well destroy what is left of the economic stability of Europe, which makes our own economic difficulties discreto (not so bad). A couple of … [Read more...] about Oh Those Wild & Crazy Italians: Kind Of Like The French Without The Fries
Stevie Wonder Applauds Steve Jobs
For making iOS accessible to all. At a nightclub appearance in LA last weekend, said Stevie: There is nothing that you can do on the iPhone or iPad that I can’t do. Watch: Via. … [Read more...] about Stevie Wonder Applauds Steve Jobs
Are We Still Capable Of Outrage? Are You?
WikiLeaks document dumps over the last year or so on the quagmires in Afghanistan and Iraq, Guantanamo Bay and State Department diplomatic cables, among others, begs an important question: Are we still capable of outrage? The past decade has been a carnival of disasters beginning with the 9/11 attacks and followed by the fool's mission in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, the … [Read more...] about Are We Still Capable Of Outrage? Are You?
Marine To Be Awarded Medal Of Honor
Today a former US Marine will join a rare group of living Medal of Honor winners. I don't think I could do a better job than the Marine Corps Times did in spelling out his heroism so I'll let it stand on its own. (note that the article was written before the award became official, which is why he is refered to as nominee) He may not think he deserves the award but as … [Read more...] about Marine To Be Awarded Medal Of Honor
Perry and the GOP’s Feckless Establishment
WASHINGTON -- The Republican establishment is said to have grave qualms about Gov. Rick Perry.Here's the problem: There is no Republican establishment. It squanderedits authority by building up the tea party's brigades and then fearingthem too much to do anything to check their power. Worse for thosewho think Perry would be a general election disaster is the growing … [Read more...] about Perry and the GOP’s Feckless Establishment
Inside the Death Cult of the GOP (part i.)
I want you to try a thought experiment here. Joseph Interpreting Pharaoh's Dream Peter von Cornelius (1817) (click pix for larger image) Think of something obvious and intimate that you use all the time: a cigarette lighter, a tube of lipstick, a shoehorn, whatever. Something convenient, even something that you're carrying right now (not a pair of glasses you're wearing, … [Read more...] about Inside the Death Cult of the GOP (part i.)
BP Culpable For Macondo Well Blowout
Like most of us said at the time, BP's flawed management led to last year's disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The loss of life at the Macondo site on April 20, 2010, and the subsequent pollution of the Gulf of Mexico through the summer of 2010 were the result of poor risk management, last-minute changes to plans, failure to observe and respond to critical indicators, … [Read more...] about BP Culpable For Macondo Well Blowout
Something Fishy About ‘Too Hot To Fish’
"A swirl of fame swept down a dirt road to find Bobby Kirk and his country wisdom," says the NYTimes in a Most Emailed article from late July. Stephen Colbert parses the piece in a deliciously sarcastic joke that appears at first to be a skewering of small town journalism. The action (or lack thereof) takes place a few miles up the road from me, in Athens, GA, so it got … [Read more...] about Something Fishy About ‘Too Hot To Fish’
Tea Party Congressman Endorses Destruction of Israel
It's Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), taking the Hamas line of a one state solution with a single sovereign governing from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. This, of course, would almost certainly result in the demise of Israel as a Jewish democratic homeland and, with it, the end of the Zionist dream. Since this eventuality is part of the reason why a two-state solution is the … [Read more...] about Tea Party Congressman Endorses Destruction of Israel
Jacqueline Kennedy’s Japanese Wife Act
A prime-time TV special introduces new generations to “the most mysterious, fascinating--and feline--woman in American political history” through 47-year-old audiotapes made soon after JFK’s assassination. For those possibly confused by abject adoration of her husband and bitchiness toward most other political figures of their time, some first-hand footnotes on the apparent … [Read more...] about Jacqueline Kennedy’s Japanese Wife Act
Tomorrow Is Dakota Meyer’s Day (UPDATES)
UPDATE II Hopefully this link will take readers to a live-streaming of the MOH award ceremony: JOIN THE LIVE CHATVISIT WHITEHOUSE.GOV ===== Sometimes the most difficult part of writing and publishing an article or essay is picking the title. When, about one month ago, I first heard that Marine Sergeant Dakota L. Meyer, a former Austin resident, would be … [Read more...] about Tomorrow Is Dakota Meyer’s Day (UPDATES)
Dr. Ron Paul Has A Heart Of Stone. And Plenty Of Company In Today’s Republican Party.
KENT SNYDER AND RON PAUL There was a special moment during the CNN/Tea Party presidential debate on Monday evening when moderator Wolf Blitzer threw out a red-meat hypothetical: What do the candidates think about the case of a young man who could afford health insurance but chose not to buy it and became gravely ill? Should the state pay his bills? "That's what … [Read more...] about Dr. Ron Paul Has A Heart Of Stone. And Plenty Of Company In Today’s Republican Party.
Quick Take: NY Election
NY-9 sure looks bad for Democrats. Retired cable TV executive Bob Turner (R) (he launched the failed Rush Limbaugh TV show after huge success with Jerry Springer) defeated state Assemblyman David Weprin (D) in the special election for the House seat held by former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner (D). The last time a Republican won there was in the 1920's. But... consider … [Read more...] about Quick Take: NY Election
Random Thoughts On The Writerly Life
This month marks the 45th anniversary of my debut as a writer -- that is someone who got paid for writing -- and I recall that my first byline was a story on a local Marine drowning while on combat maneuvers on Okinawa. I was paid 15 bucks for that article; that is 15 bucks for each Saturday that I toiled in the newsroom of my local rag writing mostly obituaries. As … [Read more...] about Random Thoughts On The Writerly Life
Nate Silver Reviews Special Elections
When it comes to Nate Silver's political analysis I think he tends to be pretty balanced since he runs it all on numbers. But to the degree that he does have a bias it would be for, not against the Democrats. With that in mind his review of the NY-9 and NV-2 elections do not bode well for the Democrats in 2012. Personally I still expect the most likely outcome for … [Read more...] about Nate Silver Reviews Special Elections
Cameron WIllingham case and Perry: The Texas Forensic Panel is not allowed to issue an opinion without interference
about whether Perry signed the writ to execute Cameron justly... even though it is thought now that Cameron may have been innocent. 234 people executed during Perry's governorship. That's equal to more than a third of the small town population where I grew up. I sit here imagining every third house in the northwoods having the hearse pull up. It seem odd that some … [Read more...] about Cameron WIllingham case and Perry: The Texas Forensic Panel is not allowed to issue an opinion without interference