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The Moderate Voice

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Justitia, Open Your Eyes (Guest Voice)

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Justitia, Open Your Eyes by Peter Funt Should Justitia remove her blindfold? Named after the Roman goddess, we know her better as Lady Justice: guardian of our courts. The scales she holds remind us to weigh evidence with care; her sword indicates that punishment must fit the crime. And her blindfold connotes...well, what? It's generally accepted that the … [Read more...] about Justitia, Open Your Eyes (Guest Voice)

The Troubling Profile of a ‘Bushian Terrorist’ (Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria)

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Can it credibly be said that George W. Bush and U.S. neoconservatives are partly responsible for the emergence of Norwegian terrorist and mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik? According to columnist K. Selim of Algeria's Le Quotidien d’Oran, Western media has been careful not to draw the right conclusions about where a man like Breivik really came from. For Algeria's Le … [Read more...] about The Troubling Profile of a ‘Bushian Terrorist’ (Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria)

Will Democratic Liberal Disgust Over Debt Ceiling Limit Deal Hurt Recalls in Wisconsin?

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A Talking Points Memo post suggests something I have often noted: when some members of the Democratic Party's liberal base get mad they decide to punish their party or just don't vote and hand long sought victories to their foes. Then they complain afterwards when their foes are in power, or consolidate power. This has led to teeny-weeny things such as America's Supreme Court … [Read more...] about Will Democratic Liberal Disgust Over Debt Ceiling Limit Deal Hurt Recalls in Wisconsin?

The Tea Party Job-Killers

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By the end of the day, Congress and the President will have enacted legislation to take much more money out of the economy than the Stimulus bill put into it in February 2009 with tax cuts and infrastructure investments to offset the effects of a looming Depression. The $787 billion back then is dwarved by the estimated $2.5 trillion in cuts to the budget over a decade by an … [Read more...] about The Tea Party Job-Killers

Part of Debt-Raising & Deficit-Reducing Legislation Is Unconstitutional

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The long-awaited and controversial legislation raising the U.S. debt limit in two stages and providing for certain immediate and future spending reductions is also unconstitutional in part. This bill was passed on August 1st (Monday) by the U.S. House of Representatives. It will likely be approved by the U.S. Senate and signed by the President on Tuesday, August 2nd – just … [Read more...] about Part of Debt-Raising & Deficit-Reducing Legislation Is Unconstitutional

Mitt Romney and the Debt Ceiling Limit Crisis: Profile in Political Cowardice

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Well, no one can accuse Mitt Romney of not being transparent. Romney has apparently stuck his finger up in the wind to see which way vital Tea Party sentiments were going on the debt ceiling limit issue. For weeks he has had his finger stuck in a much shadier area on this issue. But now the big battle is over and he needs Tea Party votes so suddenly he is speaking … [Read more...] about Mitt Romney and the Debt Ceiling Limit Crisis: Profile in Political Cowardice

Would You Like Some Freedom Fries With That Satan Sandwich?

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"Satan Sandwich" was coined by Emanuel Cleaver, chair of Congressional Black Caucus, to describe the debt/ceiling compromise. I have wondered for a long time if part of the problem of public discourse is lack of what? lyric ideas that lead to in depth solutions. What can one do with a Satan Sandwich? Supersize it? Make the problems worse for all. Condemn it for the … [Read more...] about Would You Like Some Freedom Fries With That Satan Sandwich?

Gabrielle Giffords Votes Yes on Debt Ceiling Bill (UPDATED)

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UPDATE: I happened to be watching the vote on the debt ceiling bill, when the delightful images appeared of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords on the floor of the House surrounded by applauding and smiling Representatives. Below, in my original post, are my impressions of this wonderful moment---albeit rather short. The Huffington Post, however, has more background and … [Read more...] about Gabrielle Giffords Votes Yes on Debt Ceiling Bill (UPDATED)

Debt Ceiling: They May Not Have Burned It Down,

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But, Do They Now They Own the Economy? The only problem with being an absolutist AND trying to govern a country is that from time to time you get your way. I can see John Boehner patting Eric Cantor on the back and saying, “congratulations son, I hope it works. If it doesn’t, you, the Tea Party, and maybe the Republican Party are sunk.” If you believe the Tea Party got as … [Read more...] about Debt Ceiling: They May Not Have Burned It Down,

Will House Democrats Help Sink the Debt Ceiling Limit Deal Bill? (UPDATE)

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Will House Democrats sink the debt ceiling limit bill? So far the bulk of attention has been on the Tea Party Republicans, but Greg Sargant has a report suggesting House Democrats may be simply leaving it up to Republicans. If this is the case, it'll hurt the Democrats: if it turns out that there is a perception that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi isn't going to push for … [Read more...] about Will House Democrats Help Sink the Debt Ceiling Limit Deal Bill? (UPDATE)

China Blames Pakistan Trained Muslim Extremists for Attacks

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Now it isn't only the United States that is angry at Pakistan for terrorists trained there that go elsewhere and go on the attack. Now China is as well: China pointed a finger at Pakistan, one of its closest foreign partners, as it blamed one of two deadly attacks over the weekend in the northwestern Xinjiang region on Muslim extremists trained across the Pakistani … [Read more...] about China Blames Pakistan Trained Muslim Extremists for Attacks

Conservative Still The Leading U.S. Political Ideology

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Huh? Americans' political ideology at the midyear point of 2011 looks similar to 2009 and 2010, with 41% self-identifying as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 21% as liberal. I'll make you a bet: Political identification will swing in this country between 2015 and 2020 at about the same rate as we've seen the swing on same-sex marriage. I've got no data to back that … [Read more...] about Conservative Still The Leading U.S. Political Ideology

Deficit Talks Upshot: Neither Party Won & Americans Lost

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Although the links between the excruciatingly slow recovery from the Bush Recession and the record-high federal budget deficit are to an extent incidental, it is sadly ironic that an upshot of the deficit cap compromise hammered out on Sunday is that less money will be invested in the economy, which is to say the nation's future prosperity, and the recovery could bog down even … [Read more...] about Deficit Talks Upshot: Neither Party Won & Americans Lost

Kicking The Can Under The Debt Ceiling

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After weeks and weeks of mind-numbing talk from both sides, a compromise solution was finally reached on the debt ceiling crisis yesterday. Pundits are now trying to figure out who won and who lost in the skirmish. From my perspective, the status quo is maintained. President Obama, while disappointing some of the far left, compromised enough to move towards the political … [Read more...] about Kicking The Can Under The Debt Ceiling