This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about The Freedom to Gorge
The Violent, Gun-Loving Rhetoric of Scott Beason, Alabama State Senator
It's like the Arizona shooting, and the aftermath with all the talk of violent political rhetoric, never happened: State Sen. Scott Beason said he's been flooded with phone calls since saying at the end of comments on illegal immigration Saturday that Republicans need to "empty the clip, and do what has to be done." Beason said he was not urging violence against … [Read more...] about The Violent, Gun-Loving Rhetoric of Scott Beason, Alabama State Senator
Pakistan Courts Must Prosecute American ‘Killer’ Raymond Davis: The Frontier Post, Pakistan
Is he an American citizen who shot two Pakistanis to death in cold blood, or an American official with diplomatic immunity who shot and killed two men attempting to rob him? The story hasn't made news in our mainstream media, but in Pakistan, it's almost all people have discussed for days, since it once again seems like American overreach into Pakistan sovereignty. Ex-U.S. … [Read more...] about Pakistan Courts Must Prosecute American ‘Killer’ Raymond Davis: The Frontier Post, Pakistan
Confession: A Roman Catholic App
UPDATE: Lest we misunderstand, the Vatican clarifies, “One cannot speak in any way of ‘confession by iPhone.’ ” ------- "I invite young people above all to make good use of their presence in the digital world," said Pope Benedict XVI in his World Communications Address on January 24. Some App developers in Indiana took the Pope up on his word. From the iTunes store … [Read more...] about Confession: A Roman Catholic App
When We Ate “Real Food”
"In recent weeks," writes a culinary columnist, "we’ve seen a big, powerful government agency, a big, powerful person and a big, powerful corporation telling us what to eat." He is critiquing the efforts of the USDA, Oprah and Wal-Mart (partnering with Michelle Obama) to persuade Americans to "Eat Real Food"--more fruit and vegetables, less processed gunk. A noble goal, but … [Read more...] about When We Ate “Real Food”
SHAME ON YOU, MISTER OBAMA! :Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria
Do Arabs, particularly people living in states alongside Egypt, have a right to be skeptical of claims that America is a defender of democracy and human rights? Americans may not like to hear it - but there is massive suspicion that the U.S. does and is doing everything it can to extend the rule of Hosni Mubarak and other friendly dictators. According to one of the leading … [Read more...] about SHAME ON YOU, MISTER OBAMA! :Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria
When Monkeys Fly
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about When Monkeys Fly
Jim Webb Won’t Seek Re-election: Democrats Inching Towards 2012 Senate Loss?
Over the past two months, some analysts have suggested that the Democrats could be inching towards the loss of the Senate in 2012. The news that Jim Webb -- once considered a rising star in the Democratic Party -- will not seek re-election in 2012 ensures that this speculation will continue..and will likely grow. Chris Cillizza: Virginia Sen. Jim Webb's decision not … [Read more...] about Jim Webb Won’t Seek Re-election: Democrats Inching Towards 2012 Senate Loss?
Egyptian Government’s Behavior Is Not Shocking But Reality
Many Americans seemed shocked by reports that beset Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s government is believed to have hired thugs or used plainclothes police to provoke violence that would later be used as a pretext to point to as evidence of a need to protect an Egyptian Silent Majority. That news was coupled by reports of Mubarak supporters going after the press to try and … [Read more...] about Egyptian Government’s Behavior Is Not Shocking But Reality
Last Reaming
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Last Reaming
Beck and Kristol Trade Insults Over Egypt
(By the way, this is part of the ongoing "Elephant Dung" series over at my place. If you're curious, and like to read about Republicans attacking each other, check it out.) The right has had a hard time figuring out where to stand on the situation in Egypt. Or, rather, it has had a hard time coming up with a unified position, simply because there isn't one, what with some … [Read more...] about Beck and Kristol Trade Insults Over Egypt
Stephen Harper: Smugly Complacent
As Stephen Harper celebrated his fifth anniversary as Canada's Prime Minister, some commentators -- such as James Travers and Lawrence Martin -- wrote that the prime minister has slowly but surely moved the country to the right. Last week, in an effort to demolish their arguments, Jeffrey Simpson cited a report by Focus Canada -- which claims that Canadians haven't changed much … [Read more...] about Stephen Harper: Smugly Complacent
HuffPo – AOL Dealbreaker Averted: “No Mushrooms” (Guest Voice)
HuffPo - AOL Dealbreaker Averted: "No Mushrooms" by J. Thomas Duffy Logging on yesterday, I expected to be hit, like a tsunami, with Super Bowl news. Instead, the conflagration was all about this; AOL Buys Huffington Post for $315 Million I have always thought of AOL as the Horse--and-Buggy of the World Wide Web. I mean, the bulk of their revenue comes from … [Read more...] about HuffPo – AOL Dealbreaker Averted: “No Mushrooms” (Guest Voice)
Obama Administration Won’t Call for Mubarak’s Immediate Resignation
The latest news is that the Obama administration is now taking a stance best summarized as evolution without revolution: it is balking at calling for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step down: The Obama administration is urging Egyptian leaders to include more people in a national dialogue on reform but won't endorse demands from protesters for the immediate … [Read more...] about Obama Administration Won’t Call for Mubarak’s Immediate Resignation
Biology Teachers Don’t Teach Evolution
The NYTimes: Researchers found that only 28 percent of biology teachers consistently follow the recommendations of the National Research Council to describe straightforwardly the evidence for evolution and explain the ways in which it is a unifying theme in all of biology. At the other extreme, 13 percent explicitly advocate creationism, and spend at least an hour of class … [Read more...] about Biology Teachers Don’t Teach Evolution
Actually, Mandatory Arabic Classes Are NOT Coming to Mansfield ISD
The Mansfield, Texas, Independent School District got a federal grant to set up Arabic studies programs in several schools in that district. Here is how the local CBS affiliate wrote the story (and that link will now take you to a Page Not Found -- the local affiliate took the page down): … [Read more...] about Actually, Mandatory Arabic Classes Are NOT Coming to Mansfield ISD
Caesar’s Wife, Justice Thomas, And Health Care
Julius Caesar's second wife, Pompeia, was rumored to be involved with another man. There was no proof, but Caesar divorced her anyway because, as the saying went then and now, Caesar's wife must be beyond suspicion. Which brings us to the matter of the health care law that will soon land in the Supreme Court for a final decision about its constitutionality. One justice on … [Read more...] about Caesar’s Wife, Justice Thomas, And Health Care
More Walter Reeds?
When it comes to our troops and veterans, I am an equal opportunity zealot. I railed against the Bush administration when the shameful facts of the “Walter Reed scandal” unfolded. Today, under a new administration, we read about another scandal in the making---one that is affecting thousands of our troops at our Warrior Transition units. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review … [Read more...] about More Walter Reeds?
Arianna, AOL and Eyeballs: A Cautionary Tale
A merger couples the Huffington Post and what remains of the dial-up service that tried to eat the media world. For Arianna H., a giant financial step for Womankind but hardly a "Merger of Visions"--more a cautionary tale about 21st century competition for eyeballs. In a 1997 New York Times OpEd, at the height of a subscriber and stock boom, I compared AOL to mass magazines … [Read more...] about Arianna, AOL and Eyeballs: A Cautionary Tale
Rachel Maddow On David Kato’s Murder in Uganda
David Kato, considered a founding father of Uganda’s nascent gay rights movement, was beaten to death with a hammer a couple weeks ago. Kato's name and face appeared on the front page of the tabloid Rolling Stone's infamous "hang them" issue. President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton issued statements condemning the killing. A melee broke out at the funeral when the … [Read more...] about Rachel Maddow On David Kato’s Murder in Uganda