My idea of a hero is not some overpaid professional ballplayer hitting a home run to win the seventh game of the World Series. It is always a someone no one ever heard of. Like Ben Sater. Ben is 19, a resident of the Dallas suburb McKinney who Monday completed his dream of raising $1 million for the children’s hospital that provided free treatment to repair congenital … [Read more...] about Now, This Kid Is A Real Hero
Scheiffer, Beck & Olbermann: How Dare You
When I was a child and completed my chores I went in search of amusement. Here it is, some 60 years later, and I find old habits don’t disappear with age. For amusement purposes after scouring the news sources for partisan politics, the sour economy and the dreadful oil blowout that is a daily soap opera, I head directly to the Huffington Post to indulge in their vast … [Read more...] about Scheiffer, Beck & Olbermann: How Dare You
G-Strings, Pasties And The Constitution – Getting Almost Naked In Virginia
This was going to be one of those boring report-on-the-court-decision articles. You know. The kind with fine point analysis and dry “educational value” for the constitutionalists among us to ponder. But, sometimes when you review available court decisions, an idea jumps up and bites you and you find yourself silently mouthing “What?” Here’s the backdrop. Last Thursday a … [Read more...] about G-Strings, Pasties And The Constitution – Getting Almost Naked In Virginia
Clinton Mission To Dispel Ugly American Image In Afghan/Pakistan People
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is juggling two beasts in her much ballyhooed trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan to shore up support for U.S. policy and fortunes. Broken down to the commonest denominator, it is squashing al-Qaida and juicing up nation building. Both being paid for with money borrowed from China, for the most part. Clinton wrapped up her visit to … [Read more...] about Clinton Mission To Dispel Ugly American Image In Afghan/Pakistan People
A Government Within a Government: Secret, Hidden, and Unaccountable
Dana Priest has won two Pulitzer Prizes for her investigative reporting, and I'm betting she's going to get a third one for this new series exposing a vast post-9/11 network of intelligence agencies and operations that has grown beyond the ability of anyone -- even those at the highest levels of access -- to understand, manage, or control. And it continues to grow, like a … [Read more...] about A Government Within a Government: Secret, Hidden, and Unaccountable
Utah Has A List, Arizona Has Armed Vigilantes
If you’ve been paying attention to the news, including numerous articles here at The Moderate Voice, you already know about “The List” of 1300 supposed illegal immigrants circulated in Utah. What has gone under the radar is Arizona’s one-upmanship on the issue. Those familiar with my articles on Arizona’s SB1070 have read about a character named J. T. Ready. A neo-nazi … [Read more...] about Utah Has A List, Arizona Has Armed Vigilantes
The Utah List Makers
I just heard that the list of those invited to Chelsea Clinton’s wedding contains about 400 names. It would be fascinating to learn what considerations and criteria Bill and Hillary Clinton had when they were making up the list and what emotions they experienced. I know exactly how my wife and I felt when we drew up the list of those to be invited to our daughter’s … [Read more...] about The Utah List Makers
ABC News: UFO Spotted Over Chinese Airport
File this in your X File: ABC News -- not a supermarket tabloid -- is reporting that a UFO seen in China's skies forced Xiaoshan Airport to cease operations for one hour earlier this month. Their report even has what are alleged to be pictures: (Could it be "birthers" doing a shift change here on earth, heading back home?) … [Read more...] about ABC News: UFO Spotted Over Chinese Airport
Global Warming
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Global Warming
The Socialist Who Coddles Business?
WASHINGTON -- The titans of the private sector say President Obama is anti-business. Many progressives say he coddles business. How does the administration manage to pull that off? The "center" is said to be the most comfortable place in American politics. But this assumes that the center is stable, that most people on either end of the philosophical continuum give … [Read more...] about The Socialist Who Coddles Business?
To My Friends in the Tea Party: Don’t Stop Now, Guys
The "Tea Party Federation" - a group that purports to represent tea party groups across the country - has exorcised a demon from its midst. Mark Williams, a radio talk show host by trade, and a self-proclaimed "tea party leader" has been banished from the TPF for writing what might be the most tone deaf, racially insensitive blog post this side of an article praising the … [Read more...] about To My Friends in the Tea Party: Don’t Stop Now, Guys
Chris Wallace Acts Like a Journalist Again
This time with Mike Pence, who is making the rounds trying to win back the majority for Republicans by telling the American people that he knows they want tax cuts for the rich instead of extended unemployment benefits for the 15 million Americans who don't have jobs. Yesterday, on Fox, Wallace pushed back on Pence's claim that the Recovery Act (aka "the stimulus") had … [Read more...] about Chris Wallace Acts Like a Journalist Again
Send Money, Guns & Lawyers
My last post convinced some TMV readers that I had reached rock bottom as far as negativity, pessimism, despair and cynicism. But Noooooo – I can descend even further into the great abyss. Let us imagine that the 2010 U.S. economy and our political, financial, and social systems are analogous to a toilet after an “unprecedented” large and ugly bowel movement. We have an … [Read more...] about Send Money, Guns & Lawyers
America’s ‘Promise’: To Leave Iraq in a State of Civil War: Kitabat, Iraq
Judging from the the last few articles we've translated from Iraq, the closer the United States gets to leaving, the more jittery become Iraqis. The mixed emotions are clear: a hatred for the invasion but a fear of the withdrawal. In this article from Iraq's Kitabat newspaper, columnist Ghaalib Zanjeel, while lamenting America's conduct for the last seven years, rips the … [Read more...] about America’s ‘Promise’: To Leave Iraq in a State of Civil War: Kitabat, Iraq
Navigating the Second Amendment in Washington DC (Guest Voice)
Navigating the Second Amendment in Washington DC by Tom Purcell "When you get mugged, there are certain rules you must follow," my friend and his wife explained to me as we walked from a Washington, D.C., pub to their condo. "When I get mugged?" "Muggers are polite when you follow their instructions, but they get surly when you are rude," said his wife. "How can … [Read more...] about Navigating the Second Amendment in Washington DC (Guest Voice)
Sarah Palin Reportedly Tweets Up a Storm
When I first started my Twitter account, I referred to "Tweets" as "Twits." A few people emailed me noting that a Twit had a different definition, and by golly it did. Your Dictionary explains: ....a foolish, contemptible person Sarah Palin has created a mini-political firestorm with her Tweets about a Muslim mosque being planned in NYC. And, yes, these qualify … [Read more...] about Sarah Palin Reportedly Tweets Up a Storm
Tax Cuts for the Wealthy
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Tax Cuts for the Wealthy
Small Businesses in MA Urging Employees To Get Health Care From State
This is a very strange trend, indeed. I thought state-subsidized health coverage was more expensive for small businesses than insurance purchased from private companies. Anyway, here is an example of small businesses getting rid of a significant cost factor. Hopefully, they will be hiring more employees soon, albeit they won't be able to provide those employees with health … [Read more...] about Small Businesses in MA Urging Employees To Get Health Care From State
Tea Party Federation Expels Mark Williams For Inflammatory Blog Post
THIS JUST IN! Mark Williams and his Tea Party Express have been booted from the Tea Party Federation. But this political news story of the hour actually contains has three unsurprises: 1. The Tea Party Federation has kicked out Mark Williams and his Tea Party Express due to a blog post he wrote that even a can of Chef Boyardee Ravioli sitting on a shelf in Vons Supermarket … [Read more...] about Tea Party Federation Expels Mark Williams For Inflammatory Blog Post
‘Quiet Desperation’ Doesn’t Describe the Half of It
Christopher Orlet has struck a nerve among the internet addicts who are as compulsive in following politics and culture as a drunk reaching for the bottle on the night stand first thing in the morning: I have lived most of my life with but one or two persons I would call good friends. My fiancée, who collects friends like a baleen whale collects plankton, finds my lack … [Read more...] about ‘Quiet Desperation’ Doesn’t Describe the Half of It