Yesterday TMV’s Resident Ranter Marc Pascal posted an article titled “WHEW! Thank you Governor Brewer! But it’s just not enough anymore”. In his piece, Marc praised Arizona’s governor for vetoing the Birther Bill that would have required presidential candidates to provide proof of natural born citizenship and the Guns on Campus bill. Both bills passed the legislature with … [Read more...] about Welcome To The Circus: Living In Arizona (Part I)
The Arab Spring Midterm
Guest post by Ali Ezzatyar Ali Ezzatyar is a journalist and American attorney in Paris, France. ********** It's test-time. The durability of an unpopular dictator, Arab or otherwise, has been called into question since January. Fair enough. But each bud of the Arab Spring has taught us another thing or two. Tunisia taught us that an aura of inevitability bolstered … [Read more...] about The Arab Spring Midterm
Bahrainis Plead for Help from Secretary of State Clinton (Sotal Iraq, Iraq)
Is it time for the U.S. to drop its geostrategic calculations and back Bahrainis in their quest for freedom? For Sotal Iraq, columnist Hassan al-Ansaari honors democracy activist Maryam Alkhawaja for challenging Hillary Clinton and writes that it is time for the Obama Administration to drop its double standards and stand by the people of Bahrain. For Sotal Iraq (the Voice of … [Read more...] about Bahrainis Plead for Help from Secretary of State Clinton (Sotal Iraq, Iraq)
Willie Brown: Obama Could Replace Joe Biden With New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Former San Francisco Mayor and onetime California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown Jr, is one of those smart political analysts well worth hearing -- and pondering. He doesn't always get it right but he gets a lot of it right. His latest prediction: Barack Obama will replace Joe Biden (who long wanted to be Secretary of State) with New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo, clearly an up … [Read more...] about Willie Brown: Obama Could Replace Joe Biden With New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Say Goodnight, Paul Ryan. Sweet Dreams.
In yet another example of the Republican Party finding its ever diminishing willy in a wringer, a new poll reveals that anyone who hasn't been living in a cave understands: Even though the Tea Party, the folks that have captured the GOP's base if not its imagination, wants Big Government out of its members lives, its members don't want Medicare and Medicaid out of … [Read more...] about Say Goodnight, Paul Ryan. Sweet Dreams.
Holy Week (Cartoon)
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Holy Week (Cartoon)
SC Governor Nikki Haley: Trump is Serious About Running for President
South Carolina Gov. Nikkii Haley told the AP that Donald Trump is serious about running for President: he called her and she predicts this is not being done for name recognition. She said "he's convinced he can win." I also believe the conventional wisdom is often wrong and that those who spread it later try to discreetly pretend they never insisted what would turn out to … [Read more...] about SC Governor Nikki Haley: Trump is Serious About Running for President
For Such A Time As This (Easter Reprise)
Pardon me for posting this again, but the heroic story of out lesbian rural Georgia Baptist preacher, Genie Hargrove, really ought to be a viral video hit this Easter. The video is a companion piece to a StoryCorps interview that ran on GPB radio last month. At 10 minutes, it's long for Internet time. The one minute promo for the video got 500 times the views on the … [Read more...] about For Such A Time As This (Easter Reprise)
In Memoriam: Chris Hondros & Tim Hetherington
I had the good fortune to work with some of the best photojournalists in the business - in both war and peace -- over a four-decade career, and while I did not know Chris Hondros or Tim Hetherington, I mourn their passing. Hondros, 41, a Pulitzer Prize winner widely admired for his work for Getty Images in Iraq and Afghanistan, and fellow photojournalist Tim Hetherington, … [Read more...] about In Memoriam: Chris Hondros & Tim Hetherington
Obama in a Media Hall of Mirrors
During serial interviews with local TV, the President is caught showing frustration with an aggressive Texas reporter who pushes hard about his unpopularity in the Lone Star state. When it's over, with the camera still on, the Commander-in-Chief complains: “Let me finish my answers the next time we do an interview, all right?” Life is imitating art again in the media hall … [Read more...] about Obama in a Media Hall of Mirrors
Credit Rating (Cartoon)
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Credit Rating (Cartoon)
If There’s War There Will be Strong Anti-War Demonstrations
If there's war there will be strong anti-war demonstrations. Or are there? Does it depend on the party conducting the war? One view. … [Read more...] about If There’s War There Will be Strong Anti-War Demonstrations
Cracking the 2012 Code
WASHINGTON -- Handicapping an election 19 months away seems relevant only to political junkies except for this: Expectations, as shrewd investors know, affect actions. The Republican presidential field might be more formidable if President Obama were less strongly favored. And over time, what Congress does will be shaped by the presidential campaign's direction. … [Read more...] about Cracking the 2012 Code
Comedy: Jackie Gleason and the Lost Art of Pantomime
A lost comedic art: pantomime. For younger TMV viewers, here, from the 60s, is Jackie Gleason -- the inspiration for Fred Flintstone -- in one of his lesser known comedy incarnations, Rum Dumb the drunk: But lest you think Gleason was a comedian who did comedy without words, or was "only" the bombastic Ralph Kramden (which Hanna Barbera clearly used when it drew Fred … [Read more...] about Comedy: Jackie Gleason and the Lost Art of Pantomime
Second Chance to Answer a Child’s Question, ‘Why Do We Need Veterans?’
Last week The Huffington Post published a series of articles focusing on issues affecting the families of those who serve, as part of Military Families Week. One story that I was touched by was one written by a fellow retired Air Force colonel, Richard Klass. It wasn’t because it is such a well-written story---it is---nor because it is about our troops and our … [Read more...] about Second Chance to Answer a Child’s Question, ‘Why Do We Need Veterans?’
Who Won Alaska’s Political Battle in the End?
How has it turned out in the great long-term battle between former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her nemesis Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)? A new new Dittman Research poll in Alaska finds Palin with a favorable rating of 36% and an unfavorable rating of 61% - and Murkowski at 71% to 27%. In other words: if Palin runs its questionable whether she could carry her own state. And … [Read more...] about Who Won Alaska’s Political Battle in the End?
Birther Donald
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Paul Ryan’s Defense of Tax Breaks For Wealthy Brings Him Boos
Rep. Paul Ryan got booed at a town meeting in Milton, WI when he defended tax cuts for the wealthy. Is this what other GOPers may face? First the video...then the answer. So here is the video: And is it possible likely that other GOPers will face the same fate if they come out in favor of brutally slicing programs including entitlements while proclaiming that the rich … [Read more...] about Paul Ryan’s Defense of Tax Breaks For Wealthy Brings Him Boos
The Next Big Con Job From Washington — Lowering Corporate Tax Rates
There seems to be bipartisan agreement about one budgetary matter these days. Republicans and Democrats agree that we have to lower corporate tax rates to be more competitive, and that to offset any revenue losses to the Treasury from doing so, we have to close business tax loopholes. The bipartisanship on this issue got me wondering. Are legislators in both parties just … [Read more...] about The Next Big Con Job From Washington — Lowering Corporate Tax Rates
WHEW! Thank you Governor Brewer! But it’s just not enough anymore.
What a relief that Arizona's Republican Governor Jan Brewer vetoed two meritless Bills from the Legislature ostensibly controlled by an insane cabal of Republicans, Tea-Partiers and worshippers of perpetual tax-cutting guru Grover Norquist. The two proposed measures were the new strict requirements for Presidential candidates to get on the Arizona Ballot (The “Birther” Bill) … [Read more...] about WHEW! Thank you Governor Brewer! But it’s just not enough anymore.