Uh, oh, Joe, get ready to be accused of being PC: but isn't it time to really say it? Something truly ugly is now being unleashed on our land in the name of gaining votes, creating wedge issues and getting big ratings -- and although some will definitely see big political and financial payoffs there are also now signs that there could be serious consequences. First, we had … [Read more...] about “Terrorist!” Shouting Drunk Urinates on NYC Mosque Rugs
One Million Free GMail Calls Made in First 24 Hours
Google announced yesterday free voice phone calls via GMail to the U.S. and Canada and calls to other countries billed for as little as $0.02 per minute. (Here's their price comparison table.) The feature was rolled out to everyone in the U.S. today. (If you don't see the feature yet, try logging out of Gmail and signing back in.) It looks like GMail users like it: This … [Read more...] about One Million Free GMail Calls Made in First 24 Hours
When A Game Is More Than A Game
Sometimes we are reminded why some things are more important than others For many young men making it in Major League Baseball is the dream of a lifetime. But for one man, having his father watch him play is far more special. Logan Morrison plays for the Florida Marlins, and certainly that is a major accomplishment in his life. But his father has terminal lung cancer … [Read more...] about When A Game Is More Than A Game
God Bless America
Prepare for those goosebumps people. … [Read more...] about God Bless America
A Look At Nate Silvers Odds If The Republicans Win Back Congress
I am trying to wrap my brain around the possibility the Republicans regain control of both houses of Congress now that Nate Silver, the best prognosticator in the business, puts it at attainable odds. To embrace such an event, I think it only honest to divorce oneself with preconceived hysteria based on claptrap always heard on the campaign trails and imagine how this new … [Read more...] about A Look At Nate Silvers Odds If The Republicans Win Back Congress
Beyond War: A Marshall Plan for Pakistan: Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany
Is it now, finally, time to set aside war and adopt a strategy on the same order of magnitude that revived Western civilization after World War II? This editorial from the Frankfurter Rundschau of Germany suggests turning this moment of environmental and political catastrophe in Pakistan into an opportunity to remake the region - not with violence, but with a massive and … [Read more...] about Beyond War: A Marshall Plan for Pakistan: Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany
Glenn Beck’s Rally: ‘Restoring Honor’ or Exploiting a Legacy?
As you may have heard, Conservative radio and TV personality Glenn Beck is organizing a rally, “Restoring Honor,” on Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. The rally will take place on the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Beck claims it is “a coincidence.” Beck does not call the rally political, but rather as a moment … [Read more...] about Glenn Beck’s Rally: ‘Restoring Honor’ or Exploiting a Legacy?
Being Gay Is A Choice; A Homosexual Proclivity May Not Be
On the occasion of Ken Mehlman's decision to come out as a gay man, I re-post in full my reaction to seeing Brokeback Mountain from December 2005: Homosexual and gay are not synonymous; all homosexuals are not gay. Homosexual acts may be circumstantial - a man in prison, a drunken evening - or experimental and do not mean an individual is homosexual by nature. But … [Read more...] about Being Gay Is A Choice; A Homosexual Proclivity May Not Be
A Case For Religious History Classes, Take 2 : Newt Gingrich On “The Mosque”
Earlier this month, in the wake of the Prop8 ruling, I learned that the linkage of "marriage" and religious norms is an artifact of the Catholic Church's fight for its life in the 16th century. I had no idea that I would soon be plunged into another politico-religious controversy where understanding history would be essential. If I were a student of former history professor … [Read more...] about A Case For Religious History Classes, Take 2 : Newt Gingrich On “The Mosque”
The War in Iraq: America’s ‘Seven Inglorious Years’ – La Stampa of Italy
Continuing with our coverage of the global reaction to America's departure from Iraq, this article by columnist Lucia Annunziata of Italy's La Stampa warns that 'America's decline' since the war began has brought into question 'the entire notion that the American people have an ethical mission in the world.' For La Stampa, Lucia Annunziata writes in part: "Between the … [Read more...] about The War in Iraq: America’s ‘Seven Inglorious Years’ – La Stampa of Italy
Monsanto’s 2010 lobbying bill: $4.74 million (Jan-June)
The AP article provides no detail other than this: Monsanto spent $2.18 million in the second quarter and $2.56 million in the first quarter. The issues: antitrust and patent law. Monsanto is a global player in the genetically modified foods arena. Just last week, a Monsanto variety banned in Europe was found growing in an Irish-government test plot. According to a press … [Read more...] about Monsanto’s 2010 lobbying bill: $4.74 million (Jan-June)
When You Start Cheering The Other Guy…
Woe is me. What have I become? How did this come to pass? What bizarre, terrifying confluence of circumstances have led me to actually agree with House Republican leader John Boehner? The other day Representative Boehner said that President Obama should immediately get rid of his top two economic policy advisors, Tim Geithner and Larry Summers. And instead of hissing at the … [Read more...] about When You Start Cheering The Other Guy…
Obama Making Everybody Angry (Guest Voice)
Obama Making Everybody Angry by Michael Reagan It’s almost as if President Obama’s agenda includes provoking anger at himself. And it’s not just Republicans he’s provoking. It’s just about anybody who crosses his path, even his party’s deranged left wing. Long-time liberal Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel is a case in point. The veteran Harlem congressman reacted to … [Read more...] about Obama Making Everybody Angry (Guest Voice)
McCain Wins
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about McCain Wins
Reversal of the Alaska-Arizona Axis
In the scramble to make sense out of this week's primaries, a sidebar shows how far and how fast American politics has gone downhill in two years. To keep the Republican nomination for a Senate seat he has held forever in Arizona, John McCain, who won nearly 60 million votes for president in 2008, had to spend $20 million, move far rightward on issues such as immigration and … [Read more...] about Reversal of the Alaska-Arizona Axis
It Gets Competitive Among MSNBC Talk Show Hosts
One talk show host star reportedly gets upset on the set. … [Read more...] about It Gets Competitive Among MSNBC Talk Show Hosts
A Mehlman Sampler
Is anyone surprised? Marc Ambinder got the get: Mehlman is the most powerful Republican in history to identify as gay. Because his tenure as RNC chairman and his time at the center of the Bush political machine coincided with the Republican Party's attempts to exploit anti-gay prejudices and cement the allegiance of social conservatives, his declaration to the world is at … [Read more...] about A Mehlman Sampler
Nate Silver: Democrats Could Lose the Senate
Nate Silver, a political prognosticator whose analysis of polls and data is considered about as solid as you can find, has more bad news for Democrats: he has concluded that if trends continue the Democrats could lose their majority in the Senate -- during a year when many already believe the Dems will lose control of the House: The Democratic majority is in increasing … [Read more...] about Nate Silver: Democrats Could Lose the Senate
Troy Anthony Davis Loses Challenge
A very sad day for those of us who believe he is an innocent man. AJC: In a 172-page order, U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr. said Davis failed to prove his innocence during an extraordinary hearing in June ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court. Davis, on death row for 19 years, now has one final appeal before his death sentence can be carried out. … [Read more...] about Troy Anthony Davis Loses Challenge
‘No Doubt’ India and U.S. are Behind Pakistan Flood Disaster: Pak Tribune, Pakistan
Could it be that India - with American backing and Afghan connivance - has engineered the worst flooding in Pakistan's history? And to what end? Most would call it a conspiracy theory, but columnist Ahmed Quraishi of Pakistan's Pak Tribune is dead serious as he outlines how India, by opening up dams it controls up-river from Pakistan, is intentionally causing flooding that has … [Read more...] about ‘No Doubt’ India and U.S. are Behind Pakistan Flood Disaster: Pak Tribune, Pakistan