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
Chasing A Meme: The Twain Quote That Isn’t
"I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure." - Mark Twain It was the meme of the moment on Twitter, in the wake of the news that Osama bin Laden had been killed by an American military team. Heck, even NPR tumbled it! But it's not Twain. To be more precise, there is no record of its being Twain. When I first saw the quote … [Read more...] about Chasing A Meme: The Twain Quote That Isn’t
MOVIE REVIEW: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, by BRUCE MOODY
Water For Elephants — Directed by Frances Lawrence. Romantic Drama. A young man finds himself drawn to a female circus elephant and the elephant’s female mahout. 122 minutes Color 2011. * * * The best English speaking circus film I know of is Elia Kazan’s Man On A Tightrope. I had hoped to find a better one here, but I didn’t. Kazan’s film focuses upon the circus … [Read more...] about MOVIE REVIEW: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, by BRUCE MOODY
MOVIE REVIEW “I AM” by Bruce Moody
I Am – Directed by Tom Shadyak. Documentary. A spiritual civics lesson about the family relation in the internal human anatomy and everything in the world, as a Hollywood broad comedy director seeks the truth of what has gone wrong with the world. 76 minutes Color 2011. * * * * * I wanted them all to shut up. For my sense was that every single one of them were … [Read more...] about MOVIE REVIEW “I AM” by Bruce Moody
Permission to Kill (Cartoon)
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Debt Ceiling Folly
WASHINGTON -- Starting this week, the talk in our nation's capital will be dominated by whether or not Congress should raise the debt ceiling -- as if we have any choice but to pay off our obligations. It will be a colossally foolish and self-destructive battle, another sign of how fanaticism and ideological obsession are rendering our country ungovernable. Republicans, … [Read more...] about Debt Ceiling Folly
The Day of Reckoning Arrives (Guest Voice)
The Day of Reckoning Arrives by Michael Reagan They got him. Put a couple of slugs in his face. Then they dumped his body in the sea — something for the fish, which don’t much care what they eat, to feed on. No matter how you look at it, this was a masterful stroke by a group of Navy Seals who went about their business with great skill and steely nerves. Naturally, great … [Read more...] about The Day of Reckoning Arrives (Guest Voice)
RIP Osama bin Laden Victims (Cartoon)
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Osama Bin Laden’s $25 Million Heritage
First, congratulations President Obama, our military, our intelligence agencies and America for a Mission Accomplished---accomplished so brilliantly. But now to the $25 million question. As we well remember, in our anguish and fury following the dastardly September 11 attacks, the U.S. State Department offered a $25 million reward for information leading to the … [Read more...] about Osama Bin Laden’s $25 Million Heritage
Conservative Win Projected In Canada
Just to illustrate what happened Conservatives came into campaign with 143 seats, they will now have 165-168 NDP came into campaign with 36 seats and will end with 105-110 (tripled their ranks) Liberals came into campaign with 77 seats and will end with 25-30 (cut by 2/3rds) and their leader (the potential next PM had the Liberals won) lost. Bloq Quebecois came into … [Read more...] about Conservative Win Projected In Canada
Burying bin Laden
His body has been consigned to the sea but how will we deal with his legacy? For years now, the corporeal Osama has been like one of those aging celebrities on reality TV and game shows popping up to reprise his latest and greatest hit on 9/11. His irrelevance has been monumental. What needs attention now is the hole he left in the American psyche that has been growing … [Read more...] about Burying bin Laden
Osama bin Laden’s Wife Appears to Detail The Depressive Sociopathy of a Man Who Imagined Himself Holy, but Chose to Become Hellacious Instead
This is a telling interview with one of Osama bin Laden's wives, by Khalid Nasr in March 2002. (Islam allows up to four wives. bin Laden possessed all four.) This was carried by Guardian UK only 6 months after the bombing of the Trade Towers, Pentagon, and one hijacked plane was diverted by passengers away from bombing the White House and was taken down into a woods. And … [Read more...] about Osama bin Laden’s Wife Appears to Detail The Depressive Sociopathy of a Man Who Imagined Himself Holy, but Chose to Become Hellacious Instead
North Korea Confiscates Cell Phones
Just another Orwellian move by the nut from the North. … [Read more...] about North Korea Confiscates Cell Phones
Death of Bin Laden – Second
Global News Round Up
A second extensive round-up from Watching America.com
Al-Jazeera, Qatar
Spain's Osama Legacy
"The bombing of Madrid was the most significant attack on the West since 9/11. In the immediate aftermath, it changed Spanish government policy. It also changed the way people felt about their security. Travellers around Atocha believe the death of bin Laden won't change it … [Read more...] about Death of Bin Laden – Second
Global News Round Up
Obama ‘Decapitates’ the al-Qaeda Hydra (El Pais, Spain)
Continuing with our global roundup of reaction to bin Laden's death - does the apparent demise of Osama bin Laden signify the death knell of Islamist Jihadism? For Spain's El Pais, columnist Liuis Bassets writes that President Obama has not only assured is own reelection, he has given what has been called a 'war on terror' its crowning achievement. For El Pais, Liuis Bassets … [Read more...] about Obama ‘Decapitates’ the al-Qaeda Hydra (El Pais, Spain)