I do not believe this is a time to celebrate waterboarding, I believe this is a time to celebrate hard work. ~ Senator LINDSEY GRAHAM Osama bin Laden had been dead for a mere few hours when the conservative priests took to the media altar to crow that torture had led to the death of the Al Qaeda leader. From all available evidence, that is not correct, but an … [Read more...] about Torture Had Zip To Do With Getting Osama Bin Laden
FBI: Fake Bin Laden Video Is A Virus
Computerworld: The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation warned computer users Tuesday that messages claiming to include photos and videos of Osama bin Laden's death actually contain a virus that could steal personal information. The warning comes as security companies said that they've spotted the first samples of malicious software disguised as photos of the dead Al Qaeda … [Read more...] about FBI: Fake Bin Laden Video Is A Virus
The Kent State Massacre At 41: Will The Full Truth Ever Be Known?
Today marks the 41th anniversary of the murder of four antiwar protesters at the hands of Ohio National Guardsmen at Kent State University, but the full truth of this seminal event still is not known and may never be. The major lingering question is whether the guardsmen, who fired 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds, were ordered to open fire on the more than 1,000 … [Read more...] about The Kent State Massacre At 41: Will The Full Truth Ever Be Known?
Death of Bin Laden – Huge Global Media Round-Up
I posted the first responses to bin Laden's death (originally written in English around the world) here and here A day later, it's time for the really good stuff - translated content from the folks at WatchingAmerica.com from around the world. Visit them for frequent updates. FROM THE EAST Moheet, Egypt Assassination of bin Laden Violates International … [Read more...] about Death of Bin Laden – Huge Global Media Round-Up
Donald Trump and the 2012 ‘Campaign of Lunacy’ (Der Spiegel, Germany)
Stepping away briefly from the planetary reaction to the apparent demise of Osama bin Laden [please log-in for continuing international reaction to that story], this article from Germany shows again how interesting it can be to see oneself through the eyes of others. Unfortunately, in the case of Donald Trump, what those others happen to see is nothing short of alarming. … [Read more...] about Donald Trump and the 2012 ‘Campaign of Lunacy’ (Der Spiegel, Germany)
Bush Declines Ground Zero Invite
Former President George W. Bush has declined an invite from President Obama to join him at Ground Zero on Thursday for a ceremony marking the death of Osama Bin Laden. While I am sure some will find a way to use this to attack or make fun of Bush, I consider it a classy decision. I am reminded of a scene in the West Wing where one character says to another "The country is … [Read more...] about Bush Declines Ground Zero Invite
Google Reports One Million Percent Increase In Searches For ‘Bin Laden’
Not exactly a surprise, but telling nonetheless: Google says that between 7:30 and 8:30 pm PST (which was right around the time the news broke over Twitter), Google saw an one million percent increase in searches for the term ‘bin laden.’ For basis of comparison, you can see a chart below comparing searches for the Royal Wedding on Google Trends. The Royal Wedding … [Read more...] about Google Reports One Million Percent Increase In Searches For ‘Bin Laden’
TIME TO MOVE ON
It was very good news to hear that U.S. Joint Special Operations Command forces killed Osama Bin Laden (OBL) in his exclusive Pakistani retirement compound this past weekend. It came just under 10 years after the 9/11/01 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington DC. Congratulations are due to the many anonymous U.S. servicemen and … [Read more...] about TIME TO MOVE ON
How The White House Lost Message Control
Here's what I think what happened on Sunday: Press conference scheduled at 10.30 pm eastern List drawn up of people who need to know before 10.30, so that they were not blindsided Timetable for contact developed, working backwards from 10.30 pm All would have been well -- the tweet that broke the story was timestamped 10.24 pm -- if the President had kept to the 10.30 … [Read more...] about How The White House Lost Message Control
Comment moderation issue
Hello TMV'ers. Since we have switched back to standard comments, there have been a large amount of auto-moderate comments appearing. I did some investigating and found that the comment spam filters were treating many of you like active cyber criminals. I went through the configuration and scaled things back a tad and noticed the comments auto-approved. So there may be … [Read more...] about Comment moderation issue
Russell’s Nightmare
Canada changed last night. It was a change which voters made consciously and deliberately. In doing so, they ignored the warning of one of Canada's best known constitutional scholars. A week before the election, Peter Russell appeared in what will become a seminal video. "This is the most important federal election in my lifetime," he declared: What is at stake is … [Read more...] about Russell’s Nightmare
Osama at Hotel Hell (Cartoon)
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Osama at Hotel Hell (Cartoon)
Osama bin Laden Killing Closes a Chapter But Not the Book
Many Americans will remember where they were when they heard the news that Osama bin Laden was killed in the special ops strike ordered by President Barack Obama and carried out by Navy Seals the same way many remember where they were when they heard about Pearl Harbor, JFK’s assassination and 911. It closed one chapter – but not the book… The next chapter’s shape isn’t … [Read more...] about Osama bin Laden Killing Closes a Chapter But Not the Book
Commanding-in-Chief: Obama Prequel
As details of Operation Osama emerge, a campaign promise by Barack Obama, widely disparaged by opponents then, comes back to recall his confidence about being Commander-in-Chief. In 2007, he said, "It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist … [Read more...] about Commanding-in-Chief: Obama Prequel
The Death Of A Winner
Before 9/11 the United States was a beacon of freedom and what was right. "Your papers please" was a phrase that differentiated the US from the dictatorships of the communist east block. All that changed on 9/11. Radley Balko sums it all up: We have also fundamentally altered who we are. A partial, off-the-top-of-my-head list of how we’ve changed since September 11 . . … [Read more...] about The Death Of A Winner
After OBL Kill, Afghanistan & Libya Wars Just Look Foolish
WASHINGTON - After reading the raid accounts from Marc Ambinder, Mike Allen, Brian Ross, as well as the White House briefing by senior administration officials the night after, it's clear our mission against Al Qaeda hasn't been in Afghanistan since Pres. Bush left office. What was found under the nose of the Pakistani government's nose was enough to start an entire new group … [Read more...] about After OBL Kill, Afghanistan & Libya Wars Just Look Foolish
And the Birther Queen Continues Her Reign
Even some of the most ardent birthers, even some of the most seasoned Obama haters, even The Donald, are giving up their crusade against the President, after he released the original, official, genuine, full, long-form, state of Hawaii, U.S. birth certificate. But not birther queen Orly Taitz. She appeared before a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals … [Read more...] about And the Birther Queen Continues Her Reign
Osama bin Laden (Cartoon)
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Osama bin Laden (Cartoon)
What Should The U.S. Do About An Ally That Harbors A Mass Murderer?
BIN LADEN'S ROOMS WITH A VIEW One has to go back go back to fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini to find an example of the kind of blatant hypocrisy that characterizes Pakistan. Pakistan gobbles up billions of dollars in U.S. aid each year but has nothing to show for it, has not just been less than helpful in the dragnet for Osama bin Laden but has allowed him to hide in … [Read more...] about What Should The U.S. Do About An Ally That Harbors A Mass Murderer?
Why America’s Future Security Rests On Its Extraordinary Resources & Not A Mighty Military
As almost anyone with a comprehensive world view well knows, America's future lies not in having the mightiest military but in marshaling its extraordinary assets -- its people, its infrastructure and its renewable resources -- to assure a more secure 21st century. That the wonks at Foreign Policy magazine recognize that reality in publishing a paper titled "A National … [Read more...] about Why America’s Future Security Rests On Its Extraordinary Resources & Not A Mighty Military