Personally, I just have a simple "thank you" to our President Obama upon the policy decision to withdraw, or at least draw down, from Iraq. Some may see this as an election promise, some may see it as a moral issue. I see it as a developmental issue -- for the independent movement. When independents put Barack Obama in the White House in November of 2008, we might have … [Read more...] about President Obama, Independents, Iraq and Development
Iraq
I'm old - I became politically aware during the Vietnam war and realized that my government had no problem lying to me. I didn't realize how much they were lying to me until years later when Lyndon Johnson's white house tapes were released but I knew they were lying to me all along. After I graduated from college in 1968 I went to work for the Defense Intelligence Agency as … [Read more...] about Iraq
Trestles: Bridge To Surfing Heavens Succumbs To The Sands Of Time
Bridges have always struck mankind as engineering marvels since the days of the Roman aqueduct. Most of us have a love affair with bridges from our childhood whether it be the Brooklyn Bridge for Jewish and Italian immigrants writing about it in the 1950s to the days I spent in Oregon where the magnificent span of a Depression-era bridge arches over the Rogue River in Gold … [Read more...] about Trestles: Bridge To Surfing Heavens Succumbs To The Sands Of Time
Mullah Beck
A few months ago I described Glenn Beck as a modern day snake oil salesman. This weekend it appeared he is out to become the Mullah for the American Taliban. The theology Beck was preaching was not Christian but Mormon and as a result has received at best a lukewarm reception from the evangelical leadership and shock and hostility from the main stream Christian community. … [Read more...] about Mullah Beck
Glenn Beck’s Day of Beckoning
Glenn Beck's big "Restoring Honor" rally is over but the memories and the controversy linger on. Some say the rally changed the view of Beck and changed lives. I watched. Were we all wrong about Beck? Read the details HERE in my weekly www.cagle.com column. … [Read more...] about Glenn Beck’s Day of Beckoning
The Science of Counting Crowds
Event organizers tend to inflate audience numbers at events because it makes the event look more successful. Critics denounce those numbers for the converse. When the shoe is on the other foot, the rhetoric changes, predictably. Enter the science of estimating crowd size. Steve Doig shares how he estimated a crowd size of 80,000 for the Glenn Beck rally; he was … [Read more...] about The Science of Counting Crowds
Supreme Court – Not What You Think: Part II, 19th Century Activism
After the election of Thomas Jefferson and the routing of the congressional federalists in the 1800 elections, the federalist dominated Congress reconvened in a lame duck session to pass the Judiciary Act of 1801. It expanded the number of federal circuit courts from the original 3 to 16, reduced the number of Supreme Court Justices from six to five to give Jefferson one less … [Read more...] about Supreme Court – Not What You Think: Part II, 19th Century Activism
The Clocks Are Striking 13
On the same weekend that Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial and insisted they were "reclaiming the Civil Rights Movement," Frank Rich -- in The New York Times -- wrote about the weatlthy trinity who are giving Beck and Palin their financial mojo -- Rupert Murdoch, and the Koch brothers, David and Charles. And, wrote Rich, these three are not a new … [Read more...] about The Clocks Are Striking 13
Obama: Embracing the Orphan
Taking full blame for the Bay of Pigs debacle, JFK fell back on an old maxim, "Victory has a thousand fathers. Defeat is an orphan." If the polls are right, Barack Obama has an unblessed event due in November, with no other claimants to paternity amid all the analysis of when wrong in his love affair with the American people that looked so promising two years ago. At this … [Read more...] about Obama: Embracing the Orphan
Supreme Court – Not What You Think: The Early Years
In conversation with others it has been my observation that most people believe that the United States Supreme Court has always been as it is today, nine justices, hearing only those cases they choose, deciding cases at the appellate level, without political ambition, as the unchallenged arbiters of interpreting the Constitution and devoted to their heavy caseload and their … [Read more...] about Supreme Court – Not What You Think: The Early Years
Glenn Beck Memorial
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Uauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reseved. … [Read more...] about Glenn Beck Memorial
Orin Kerr’s Shocker: Judge Stands Up for Fourth Amendment! (But Don’t Worry, It’s Not Binding.)
When in doubt about whether the Fourth Amendment gives the federal government a specific surveillance authority, err on the side of the Fourth Amendment. the federal government's surveillance authority. … [Read more...] about Orin Kerr’s Shocker: Judge Stands Up for Fourth Amendment! (But Don’t Worry, It’s Not Binding.)
What Sarah Palin Stands For
The funny (or sad) thing about this t-shirt is that it could just as easily be worn as an anti-Palin statement. Of course, it would be even better in that regard if "babies" were changed to "fetuses." Then it would be perfect. … [Read more...] about What Sarah Palin Stands For
Gallup Poll Suggests Huge Republican Congress Victories (UPDATED)
The latest Gallup Poll suggests the GOP is poised for huge Congressional victories -- a poll-recording-breaking lead by Republicans in the generic ballot: Republicans lead by 51% to 41% among registered voters in Gallup weekly tracking of 2010 congressional voting preferences. The 10-percentage-point lead is the GOP's largest so far this year and is its largest in Gallup's … [Read more...] about Gallup Poll Suggests Huge Republican Congress Victories (UPDATED)
When a Post Goes Way Too Far
A lot of "civilians" don't understand that on most weblogs and even major megaweblogs blogging involves a degree of trust. It's assumed that when someone is considered OK they are given the codes to just put up their own posts. Most posts on most blogs are NOT reviewed before they go on by editors, who may have other roles in monitoring the quality control of a site, outreach, … [Read more...] about When a Post Goes Way Too Far
Beck Throws Stones
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Beck Throws Stones
A Chesapeake Bay Tidal Wave?
Every once in a while I like to take out my mostly trusty crystal ball and peer into the future. A Gallup poll released yesterday reports a 10 point advantage for generic Republican candidates for Congress over the Democratic opponents. What does this mean in the real world? In my opinion, Nancy Pelosi is fired as Speaker, probably replaced by John Boehner. On the Senate … [Read more...] about A Chesapeake Bay Tidal Wave?
New Left Media at “Restoring Honor”
Chase Whiteside (interviews) and Erick Stoll (camera), still students at Wright State University in Dayton, OH, are New Left Media. They were at Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally. Say they: The participants spoke abstractly about the need to restore "honor" and "pride" to a country that had lost it. When pressed for when our country had lost its honor, most cited the election … [Read more...] about New Left Media at “Restoring Honor”
Glenn Beck
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Glenn Beck
In Despair Over Democracy – Both America’s and Ours: Der Standard, Austria
Is democracy in some way fatally flawed? And would Republican and Tea Party victories this November be proof of such a flaw? According to columnist Krisen Frey of Austria's Der Standard, there is simply no escaping it: citizens in democracies have a habit of voting against their own interests. But unfortunately, Frey writes, democracy is still the best solution to the difficult … [Read more...] about In Despair Over Democracy – Both America’s and Ours: Der Standard, Austria