This report could have been written in advance after the outcome of New York 26, where GOPers lost a "safe" seat to Democrats in an election many believe turned on the unpopularity of the Paul Ryan budget and its plan to seriously tinker with Medicare: Republicans are using the lopsided outcome of Tuesday's failed debt ceiling vote as a means to push through Medicare … [Read more...] about Republicans Using Medicare Reform as Price for Debt Ceiling Deal
Ooh! Aah! Uh Uh, Not Without An Environmental Study
La Jolla Cove is the spot. Each Fourth of July tens of thousands gather to watch the annual fireworks display. The pyrotechnics are sent out over the water lighting up the night sky. But, maybe not this year. A California judge has ruled that permits for fireworks displays require an environmental study. The Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation argued that debris … [Read more...] about Ooh! Aah! Uh Uh, Not Without An Environmental Study
Roger Ailes, Ed Schultz, Laura Ingraham – and Hope
Ever hear about the cup being half full? Two incidents give hope that there are limits on the power of ideology-based journalism and that humanity transcends the country’s increasingly uncivil talk radio political culture. The first involved Gabriel Sherman’s New York magazine cover story on Fox News maven Roger Ailes. An assertion later denied by a Fox News executive that … [Read more...] about Roger Ailes, Ed Schultz, Laura Ingraham – and Hope
Quote of the Day: Obama is Dangerously MIA in Argument to Raise Debt Ceiling
Our political Quote of the Day comes from political pundit Walter Shapiro, writing in The New Republic. Shapiro warns that President Barack Obama is dangerously missing in action in making an assertive convincing case to raise the national debt ceiling -- particularly dangerous since a good chunk of independent voters now are now siding with Republicans who don't want to do … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Obama is Dangerously MIA in Argument to Raise Debt Ceiling
Proof Osama bin Laden is Toast: His Face Mysteriously Appears on Toast
How's this to a)spoil your appetite at breakfast if it happened to your toast b)be begging for all kinds of interpretations (you're free to share some in comments) c)be something his followers may declare as a sign and others declare as a sign of the end of the world? Osama bin Laden's face has appeared on a piece of toast in Great Britain: For almost a decade there were … [Read more...] about Proof Osama bin Laden is Toast: His Face Mysteriously Appears on Toast
Chris Christie Wants — And Gets — It Both Ways
Despite the high marks he gets from Republicans nationally because of his apparent fiscal prudence, Chris Christie is on track to be yet another one-term New Jersey governor. Not unlike his counterpart in Wisconsin, Christie has treated public employee unions harshly while sparing the state's rich. But Christie has treated no one better than himself. His reputation for … [Read more...] about Chris Christie Wants — And Gets — It Both Ways
Palin’s Marilyn Monroe Moment
As a legendary woman of the last century turns 85 today, there are echoes of a Marilyn-like media frenzy in the hide-and-seek game being played now by another super-celebrity. “Congratulations, Sarah Palin, you have turned the Washington press corps into a bunch of paparazzi stalking your every move,” a reporter writes about the bus tour meant to bolster her presidential … [Read more...] about Palin’s Marilyn Monroe Moment
Is Chasing The Palin Birth Hoax Story Sexist?
SEXISM: Prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex. ~ Oxford English Dictionary A fellow TMV contributor and a frequent commenter tried to take me to the woodshed last week -- picture if you will the contributor grabbing one arm of a 6-foot-2 guy with broad shoulders and big biceps and the commenter my other arm -- because of … [Read more...] about Is Chasing The Palin Birth Hoax Story Sexist?
A Christian Same Sex Union ?
Seems that it is not as unusual as some would have us think … [Read more...] about A Christian Same Sex Union ?
The Gravity of the Medicare Problem (Cartoon)
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about The Gravity of the Medicare Problem (Cartoon)
Rapists Lose It
This one certainly did. … [Read more...] about Rapists Lose It
Economist Bruce Bartlett on Taxes: Are They High or Low?
It depends on how you define the tax rate: … [Read more...] about Economist Bruce Bartlett on Taxes: Are They High or Low?
Oklahoma Man Convicted Of Murder For Shooting Robbery Suspect
I'm usually pretty much a law and order guy but this conviction seems proper to me. To summarize the story, two armed teens entered a pharmacy and tried to rob it. They threatened the clerk on duty but the pharmacist/owner had a gun and shot one of them. The other fled the scene. The pharmacist chased the 2nd suspect to no avail. Now up until this point I think what he … [Read more...] about Oklahoma Man Convicted Of Murder For Shooting Robbery Suspect
WHY WE HAVE TO GUT FEDERAL SPENDING
I may not agree on a philosophical, emotional, political or economic basis, but as a practical matter, we simply have to eliminate all discretionary domestic spending, and drastically reduce Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security. This may lead our nation quickly to a corporate feudalism. But if there are no plausible alternatives to the declining status quo, we might as well … [Read more...] about WHY WE HAVE TO GUT FEDERAL SPENDING
What to Remember After Memorial Day
The parades, flags and mass prayers are meant to honor men and women who died nobly for their country, but they also commemorate the barbaric enterprise of those who sent them to kill and be killed for reasons that are not fully understood and shared by fellow Americans. Since World War II, our young people have been giving up their lives in Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East … [Read more...] about What to Remember After Memorial Day
Pretext Detention Constitutional – Security Trumps Rights Again (Ashcroft v. al-Kidd)
Abdullah al-Kidd is the real name of the person involved in this case. However, to avoid anti-Muslim prejudice seeping into the reading of this analysis, I’m going to refer to him as John Smith. Other than the name, the facts are undisputed and come from the Supreme Court case. John Smith is a natural born United States citizen. His parents, his wife and his children are … [Read more...] about Pretext Detention Constitutional – Security Trumps Rights Again (Ashcroft v. al-Kidd)
Palin Ditches Political Paparazzi
WASHINGTON - How’s Jon Huntsman going to compete with a good looking woman in leather? What Republican primary voter can resist a woman straddling a Harley? A woman who won’t let her obsession with what people think or say about her keep her from tying everyone in knots all the way to the bank. Huntsman can’t compete, no one can, and the fact that Sarah Palin showed up at … [Read more...] about Palin Ditches Political Paparazzi
Memorial Daze (Guest Voice)
Memorial Daze by Hart Williams A year ago, I noticed a funny thing. The page www. remember.gov kind of forgot the Civil War for Memorial Day. And I pointed out that Memorial Day, originally known as "Decoration Day" was a holiday remembering the Union Veterans who had died in the Civil War. (They also decided to deep six the Mexican War of 1846): Screen cap from last … [Read more...] about Memorial Daze (Guest Voice)
Pentagon Says Cyber Combat Can Be Considered An Act of War
The Pentagon has decided that computer sabotage from another country can be considered an act of war. And the U.S. can respond with military force: The Pentagon's first formal cyber strategy, unclassified portions of which are expected to become public next month, represents an early attempt to grapple with a changing world in which a hacker could pose as significant a threat … [Read more...] about Pentagon Says Cyber Combat Can Be Considered An Act of War
Book Review: Donovan Hahn’s ‘Moby Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost At Sea’
SECOND OFFICER: Hast seen the White Whale? DONOVAN HAHN: Hast seen the Yellow Duck? When a load of 28,800 rubber bath toys plummeted into the northern Pacific Ocean from a storm-tossed container ship in 1992, beachcombers and oceanographers were in rapture. The toys washed up on coastlines from Alaska to California to Massachusetts for years, some traveling west to … [Read more...] about Book Review: Donovan Hahn’s ‘Moby Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost At Sea’