My 11-year-old grandson has been taking violin lessons. He is getting quite good at it. Today he appeared at a Christmas music recital for the residents of a senior citizens assisted living center. He was one of several young boys and girls who dedicated a Saturday afternoon, in addition to many hours of practice and preparation, to get the senior citizens a little bit … [Read more...] about This Christmas, See the Forest Instead of the Trees
Bernie Sanders, Democrats And Other Insane Asylum Members
The Democrats are the best compassionate political party in America and the worst at governing, except for the Republicans who want no part of it but say they do. The Democratic mantra was expressed eloquently and redundantly Friday by Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont. Sanders spoke for eight hours in an empty Senate chambers extolling the grief inflicted … [Read more...] about Bernie Sanders, Democrats And Other Insane Asylum Members
U.S. Assault on Assange Betrays America’s Founding Principles: Berliner Zeitung, Germany
When people in other countries quote the Founding Fathers to Americans, they are almost invariably seeking to strike a nerve that they hope will get the United States to change course. Columnist Holger Schmale in this article from of Germany's Berliner Zeitung asserts to his readers that by seeking the arrest and prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Washington is … [Read more...] about U.S. Assault on Assange Betrays America’s Founding Principles: Berliner Zeitung, Germany
Washington State Legislature Calls Budget-Cutting Saturday Session
Saturday is a red-letter day in Washington State. Its legislative body entered into a special 24-hour (read: rubber-stamp) session designed to chop about a half-billion-dollars from the 2009-2011 budget. It's the first special, or extra-ordinary, session called by the Governor since 2003. This is an opaque rush job. Governor Christine Gregoire announced the special … [Read more...] about Washington State Legislature Calls Budget-Cutting Saturday Session
Bernie Madoff’s Son Dead In Suicide
Today is the second anniversary of the arrest of Berne Madoff. This morning Madoff's eldest son, Mark, was found dead in the living room of his Manhattan apartment. Every suicide is a tragedy. One sad detail from this one, Mark's two-year-old son was asleep in an adjacent room. From the NYTimes: The steps that led to [Bernard Madoff's] arrest began when [Mark] and his … [Read more...] about Bernie Madoff’s Son Dead In Suicide
Muslims, and Mexicans, and Gays, Oh My!
Call me a spoil sport but I'm afraid I have fallen hopelessly behind many other conservatives and Republicans in being sufficiently fearful of Muslims, gays, and Mexicans. For some reason, I just can't summon the proper amount of outrage at Mexicans who are overrunning the country, Muslims who are trying to convert us, and gays who want to hug us... or something. It's not … [Read more...] about Muslims, and Mexicans, and Gays, Oh My!
Poll: Mitt Romney Would Beat Obama As Obama’s Poll Numbers Sink
A new poll finds President Barack Obama's poll numbers are still sinking -- and that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney could beat him if an election was held today: President Barack Obama's approval ratings have sunk to the lowest level of his presidency, so low that he'd lose the White House to Republican Mitt Romney if the election were held today, according to a new … [Read more...] about Poll: Mitt Romney Would Beat Obama As Obama’s Poll Numbers Sink
The Top Ten Comedic News Stories of 2010 (Guest Voice)
The Top Ten Comedic News Stories of 2010 Raging Moderate, by Will Durst Please be advised: the Top Ten Comedic News Stories of 2010 are not to be confused with the Top Ten Legitimate News Stories of 2010. They are as different as lasagna and asphalt. Ear wax and linoleum. A lunch-wagon sink trap and nuclear-lab clean rooms. Toe shoes and track cleats. Christian Science … [Read more...] about The Top Ten Comedic News Stories of 2010 (Guest Voice)
Obama Moves to the Middle
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Obama Moves to the Middle
Nixon Tape Release Further Soils Richard Nixon’s Soiled Reputation (UPDATED)
The release of yet more of the secret recordings that eventually proved to be President Richard Nixon's undoing will give historians yet more material that won't help his legacy: more evidence as previous recording suggest and a bit of a bigot: Richard M. Nixon made disparaging remarks about Jews, blacks, Italian-Americans and Irish-Americans in a series of extended … [Read more...] about Nixon Tape Release Further Soils Richard Nixon’s Soiled Reputation (UPDATED)
Power to Congress (Guest Voice)
Power to the Congress by Craig Barnes The president has met with Republicans and put together a tax deal that was, he said, the best he could get from them. He argued that something was better than nothing. Since Republicans had declared that they would otherwise demand nothing, the President was being practical. He wanted to get something. To liberal democrats all over … [Read more...] about Power to Congress (Guest Voice)
NASA Announces Warmest November On Record, 2010 Almost Undoubtedly Hottest Year
It's been a few months since I've kept track of my bet to no one in particular that 2010 would be the hottest recorded year. With the conclusion of the Cancun climate meetings proving fruitless and NASA releasing data for November, it's time to see how I did. To briefly recap, in fall 2009 I started to tell people that I believed there was a 99.9% chance that we'd see at … [Read more...] about NASA Announces Warmest November On Record, 2010 Almost Undoubtedly Hottest Year
Balancing The Budget
Americans say they want to balance the budget and have lower taxes - how do you say having their cake and eating it too? As I pointed out here conservatives talk about cutting spending but they really are not in favor of cutting anything. A recent poll shows that Americans still don't want to cut anything. Americans want Congress to bring down a federal budget deficit that … [Read more...] about Balancing The Budget
LET THE BUSH TAX CUTS EXPIRE IN ORDER TO FORCE COMPREHENSIVE TAX REFORM
Perhaps lame-duck Democrats in the U.S. House have finally found their collective “Cojones” by emphatically saying “NO” to the lousy compromise tax package negotiated between the Obama Administration and the Congressional Republicans. Though they have no alternative proposals that could possibly pass both the House and Senate by the end of this year or anytime during the next … [Read more...] about LET THE BUSH TAX CUTS EXPIRE IN ORDER TO FORCE COMPREHENSIVE TAX REFORM
The Meek Have Failed to Inherit the Earth
Jesus told us the meek would inherit the earth. The cynical among us don’t see that happening. Seems like the meek will have a difficult time garnering enough votes to rule or even filibuster. And even if they could filibuster, being meek, they probably won’t. Meek leadership does not appear to be the fruit of democracy. This seems to hold true for capitalism as well. Seldom … [Read more...] about The Meek Have Failed to Inherit the Earth
The Gap Between Anti-Wikileaks Talking Points and Reality
Time for an exploration of some of the continuing myths, falsehoods, unsupported claims, and just plain nonsense surrounding the November 28 release by Wikileaks of, as of today, 1,269 U.S. State Department cables. … [Read more...] about The Gap Between Anti-Wikileaks Talking Points and Reality
Liu Xiaobo Nobel Prize ‘Farce’ Yet Another Western Slap at China: Global Times, People’s Republic of China
Today, the Norwegian Nobel Prize Committee awarded Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo the Nobel Peace Prize - but his chair went empty. Beijing refused to allow him, his wife or any of his relatives to travel to Oslo and accept the award. According to this editorial from China's state-run Global Times, awarding the Prize to Liu Xiaobo is part of a long-running Western conspiracy to … [Read more...] about Liu Xiaobo Nobel Prize ‘Farce’ Yet Another Western Slap at China: Global Times, People’s Republic of China
Ohio Joins The Tiny Group of Female Majority State Supreme Courts
Back in July, Patrick Edaburn blogged on The Moderate Voice about California's Supreme Court turning majority female (this became reality just this week). Today, with Ohio Governor Ted Strickland appointment of his former running mate, Yvette McGee Brown, to Ohio's Supreme Court, my state will join that club. She will join three women already on the Court. You can read more … [Read more...] about Ohio Joins The Tiny Group of Female Majority State Supreme Courts
WikiLeaks Makes ‘Complete Mockery’ of ‘American Colossus’: L’Orient Le Jour, Lebanon
The ramifications of the WikiLeaks disclosures continue to ripple around the world. One country that has had to scramble more than most to deal with the fallout from the massive leak of U.S. diplomatic communications is Lebanon. Not only did the cables reveal the Saudis suggesting an armed Arab force to 'destroy' Hezbullah, which is well represented in the current Lebanese … [Read more...] about WikiLeaks Makes ‘Complete Mockery’ of ‘American Colossus’: L’Orient Le Jour, Lebanon
WikiLeaks Revelations a Devastating Shock to Mexico: El Universal, Mexico
Mexico is another country plunged into turmoil by the unvarnished views of American diplomats made available by WikiLeaks. According to Mexico's Coordinator of the Dialogue for the Reconstruction of Mexico, Manuel Camacho Solís, writing for El Universal, 'If someone had been dedicated to tracking files that are the most devastating to Mexico in the State Department archives, he … [Read more...] about WikiLeaks Revelations a Devastating Shock to Mexico: El Universal, Mexico