Ben Ferencz was Chief Prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials -- not the initial set of trials that took place in 1946 under the auspices of the International Military Tribuanl (the Chief Prosecutor for those was Robert Jackson) -- but a second set of about a dozen trials that focused specifically on the Einsatzgruppen, which were basically death squads that murdered roughly a … [Read more...] about The Rule of Law
Charlie Sheen’s Disposable Celebrity
James Dean, Marilyn, Elvis... Fifty years ago, a classic book defined celebrities in the TV age as "well-known for their well-knowness," and, it often turned out, as disposable as Kleenex when their fame burned out. Historian Daniel Boorstin wrote "The Image: A Guide to Pseudo Events in America," a prophecy now having its umpteenth replay as a survey shows Charlie Sheen … [Read more...] about Charlie Sheen’s Disposable Celebrity
For Ash Wednesday…
...a Franciscan blessing I hope everyone will appreciate: May God bless you with discomfort. Discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart. Amen. May God bless you with anger. Anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace. Amen. May God … [Read more...] about For Ash Wednesday…
The Governor Scott Walker Blues
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Winning: a New Song by Charlie Sheen
This will be a big hit: … [Read more...] about Winning: a New Song by Charlie Sheen
David Broder, Pulitzer Prize Winning Centrist Washington Post Columnist and Reporter, Dies
This is a sad day for journalists, columnists, and particularly for centrists and independent voters everywhere: David Broder, the Pulitzer Prize winning columnst of The Washington Post, has died: David S. Broder, 81, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Washington Post and one of the most respected writers on national politics for four decades, died Wednesday at … [Read more...] about David Broder, Pulitzer Prize Winning Centrist Washington Post Columnist and Reporter, Dies
Ride the Tide President Obama
Every election mantra is the same - "It is the economy stupid." If people are better off they vote for the incumbents. It they are worse off, they vote them out. As Republicans get excited about defeating the incumbent President at the next elections, perhaps they should revisit history. Every economist predicts a steady rise in the the US economy along with a steady, albeit … [Read more...] about Ride the Tide President Obama
One Day Pee Could Run Your Car
If you're pissed off about gas prices, here's some good news for the future: one day if you're pissed off it could run your car. The Guardian reports: The shower is well known as a source of good ideas. But the toilet? Equally promising, says Gerardine Botte, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Ohio University who has developed a technology to generate … [Read more...] about One Day Pee Could Run Your Car
Welcome Home Discovery !!
For the very last time, the Space Shuttle Discovery has landed at the Kennedy Space Center. During her lifetime she spent the equivalent of a full year in orbit around mother Earth. Godspeed Discovery ! … [Read more...] about Welcome Home Discovery !!
Bloomberg Poll: American Against GOP Attack On Unions
As I also asked HERE in reference to a Bloomberg poll that showed that most Americans are against a government shutdown, you have to now wonder whether the Republican party is in danger of doing to its political prospects what Charlie Sheen is doing to his career. Look at this Bloomberg poll on what most Americans think of the GOP's attack on unions: Americans reject … [Read more...] about Bloomberg Poll: American Against GOP Attack On Unions
Hope’s Last Chance?
Guest post by Ali Ezzatyar Ali Ezzatyar is a journalist and American attorney practising in Paris, France. On the situation in Egypt, he was recently quoted by Robert Fisk at The Independent. ********** Comparisons to Ceausescu, while initially pessimistic, could turn out to be understated. Qaddafi is digging in and Libya is moving closer to what may be a prolonged … [Read more...] about Hope’s Last Chance?
Free Speech
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Mr. President: Lead or Get out of the Way! (Guest Voice)
Mr. President: Lead or Get out of the Way! by Michael Reagan Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is getting away with murder because the president of the United States refuses to take action when that’s exactly what is called for. Gadhafi is thumbing his nose at the alleged leader of the Free World, leaving the crazed dictator free to slaughter his own people in a frantic … [Read more...] about Mr. President: Lead or Get out of the Way! (Guest Voice)
Bloomberg Poll: Americans Oppose Government Shut Down
As in the case of Gov. Scott Walker's polls-number-killing confrontation with unions over the right for public unions to have collective bargaining, you have to wonder if this poll is yet more evident that Republicans riskover-reaching: Americans are sending a message to congressional Republicans: Don’t shut down the federal government or slash spending on popular … [Read more...] about Bloomberg Poll: Americans Oppose Government Shut Down
GOP Trophies
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Controversy Swirls Around NPR Again as Calls For Defunding Mount (UPDATED)
Is National Public Radio finally on the brink of losing its government funding? The firing of Juan Williams was the first bungle that indicated a surprising inability to grasp to the new ideological political dynamics of polarized America and the dangers it would mean to its funding. And now there's the case of a controversial conservative videographer activist who who has … [Read more...] about Controversy Swirls Around NPR Again as Calls For Defunding Mount (UPDATED)
King’s Personal Jihad Against American Muslims
Given the enormous problems besetting the U.S. these days and the need for Congress to address them, the hearings being convened by Representative Peter King tomorrow into the perceived threat of homegrown Muslim radicalism would seem to be an unwelcome distraction. Or are they? Becoming curious about what might lay behind the right-wing New York Republican's insistence … [Read more...] about King’s Personal Jihad Against American Muslims
Gas Prices, Huge Opportunity for Lamprey Eels Apparently
Where I grew up on the Great Lakes, lamprey eels attached themselves with rows of teeth angled backward toward their gullets... attached themselves to large fish, feeding off their innards for days or weeks until the fish died. Then on to the next big fish. Most of the world's four-wheeled and 6 and 8 and 10 and 18 wheels' nations are the big fish. The Lampreys? You … [Read more...] about Gas Prices, Huge Opportunity for Lamprey Eels Apparently
Whale Hunting Protects Marine Life – and Japanese Culture: Nishi Nippon, Japan
In an editorial that many will find ironic in the extreme, Japan's Nishi Nippon defends the practice of whaling by insisting that it actually contributes to the protection of other marine life. The newspaper goes on to criticize the U.S. group Sea Shepard for protecting whales from death by arguing that doing so endangers the lives of whale hunters - and that whaling must go on … [Read more...] about Whale Hunting Protects Marine Life – and Japanese Culture: Nishi Nippon, Japan
UPDATE: New ID Photo, Marizela “Mei” Perez Mtill Missing in Seattle: Police Say No Reason to Suspect Foul Play
Her name is Marizela “Mei” Perez. So young. Gone since Saturday, last seen on surveillance cameras in early afternoon. Numbers to contact directly with tips are below. As a PI, I hope the lead investigator does not rule out following leads for foul play even though Marizela has been on anti-depressants for a long time. Though the 'usual profile' for persons who go … [Read more...] about UPDATE: New ID Photo, Marizela “Mei” Perez Mtill Missing in Seattle: Police Say No Reason to Suspect Foul Play