Book Review: Kaboom: Embracing The Suck In A Savage Little War Reviewed by Ron Beaseley I graduated from college in June, 1968. This was a few months after the Tet Offensive. The United States still had a draft and I was caught in it. I received my draft notice in September and I was ordered to report in November. If I went the draft – two year route it was almost … [Read more...] about Kaboom: Embracing The Suck In A Savage Little War (Guest Book Review)
Tea Party in Historical Context
Monte Wolverton, Cagle Cartoons This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Tea Party in Historical Context
It’s The Extremists, Silly
"Epistemic closure" is the newest addition to the longstanding "all conservatives are dumb/crazy" meme. In a particularly bald piece of self-serving partisan slander, Marc Ambinder just asks flat out "Have Conservatives Gone Mad?" The practice of charging conservatives with being stupid and/or crazy has an unfortunately long pedigree. In 2004, two professors published a … [Read more...] about It’s The Extremists, Silly
The Lindsey Graham Zigzags
The most perplexing GOP politician is at it again, this time upending a "bipartisan" energy bill in a fit over Senate Democrats' decision to take up immigration reform in the face of a harsh new law just passed in Arizona, the home state of his best friend, John McCain, who is fighting for reelection there. Lindsey Graham's decision, which derails planned introduction today … [Read more...] about The Lindsey Graham Zigzags
Protesters threaten President, call him a traitor
How much polarization can American politics withstand before our government starts to break down? The following incidents tell us a lot about what can happen when partisanship and ideology replace civil discussion and pragmatism. Thousands of protesters gather outside the President's home and hint that they will drag him out into the streets. When a member of the cabinet … [Read more...] about Protesters threaten President, call him a traitor
The Black Tea Party
Cross-posted to The Debate Link Tim Wise asks us to imagine what would happen if the Tea Party was a Black movement: Imagine that hundreds of black protesters were to descend upon Washington DC and Northern Virginia, just a few miles from the Capitol and White House, armed with AK-47s, assorted handguns, and ammunition. And imagine that some of these protesters —the black … [Read more...] about The Black Tea Party
Like Al Capone, Goldman Sachs Must Be Taken Out: Financial Times Deutschland, Germany
Americans are not alone in calling for a crackdown on Wall Street in the person of Goldman Sachs. Writing for one of Germany's leading business journals, columnist Wolfgang Munchau suggests banning the shadow banking system, prohibiting toxic financial products and breaking up Goldman Sachs, because, "A hypothetical collapse of Goldman would be a cataclysmic event for the … [Read more...] about Like Al Capone, Goldman Sachs Must Be Taken Out: Financial Times Deutschland, Germany
Stephen Hawking: Don’t Be Too Eager To Contact Extra-Terrestrials
His reason? They might be too much like us: … [Read more...] about Stephen Hawking: Don’t Be Too Eager To Contact Extra-Terrestrials
What if Obama had an identical twin?
Yes, it sounds like the plot of second-rate comedy flick. Namely, this one. But Polish President Lech Kaczynski, tragically killed in plane crash, actually does have an identical twin brother Jaroslaw, who may run to replace him. Almost from the day of the crash, one question dominated political discussions and columns: Will Jaroslaw run? If he does, opinion polls and … [Read more...] about What if Obama had an identical twin?
Goldman Sachs: What Hath Fraud Wrought? (Guest Voice)
Goldman Sachs: What Hath Fraud Wrought? by Michael Winship Goldman Sachs is the Blackwater of finance, the latest in a long line of companies you love to hate, like AIG and the Dallas Cowboys. Or, as Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi infamously characterized it last year, the financial behemoth is “a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, … [Read more...] about Goldman Sachs: What Hath Fraud Wrought? (Guest Voice)
Jules and Julia
A new memoir by an old friend, Jules Feiffer, and a belated look at a movie about another, Julia Child, recall a time when we were all young and the world was opening up for us like a Cinemascope screen. Julia and Jules grew up on separate planets before ascending into the celebrity firmament. A sunny ultra-WASP California childhood led her to volunteer for service in … [Read more...] about Jules and Julia
Will Arizona’s New Immigration Law Hold Up In Court?
Will Arizona's new strict immigration law hold up in court? Here's one, stand-back analysis of the legal prospects from CNN with Andreson Cooper interviewing CNN's Jeffrey Toobin. Toobin believes it'll have trouble in the lower courts but could survive a Supreme Court ruling, given the current make-up of the court: You can already see HERE that there are a lot of … [Read more...] about Will Arizona’s New Immigration Law Hold Up In Court?
100,000 Rally Against U.S. Marine Base On Okinawa
Tensions between the United States, Japan and the people of Japan's Okinawa island are so strained over a U.S. Marine air base that the long-brewing controversy could topple the Tokyo government, Reuters news agency reports. About 100,000 people rallied Sunday near the Futenma air base demanding the facility moved off the island in defiance of a pending 2006 agreement that … [Read more...] about 100,000 Rally Against U.S. Marine Base On Okinawa
Canada Sex Education
Cam Cardow, The Ottawa Citizen This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Canada Sex Education
Sloppy Pool of Tizzy in the Gobi Desert (Guest Voice)
Sloppy Pool of Tizzy in the Gobi Desert Raging Moderate, by Will Durst At first, the party-line strategy was to affirm a unified opposition to the bill because it helped Wall Street. By regulating it. Yeah. Okay. Well, nobody said it was going to be an easy sell. All 41 GOP senators signed a letter proclaiming steadfast opposition to any overhaul and if they had to shut … [Read more...] about Sloppy Pool of Tizzy in the Gobi Desert (Guest Voice)
Coffee, Tea Or Me?
Under the category every little bit of news helps, the National Coffee Party Sunday was featured by Newsweek. Its soft-spoken Korean-American founder stressed she hoped the group can overcome the temptation to shout, scream, spit, rant, curse and grab attention as does those nasty people in the Tea Party movement. Lots of luck, Annabel Park. For those who muddle through … [Read more...] about Coffee, Tea Or Me?
Senate Grownups Play Childish Games Over Climate Change Legislation
If the grownups in Congress can't stand up to political heat, no wonder all incumbents are subject to the wrath of voters. The latest example of profiles in timidity is Sen. John Kerry who said Saturday he is withdrawing the long-awaited climate change legislation scheduled to be introduced Monday. The reason is petty politics. The public be damned. What's at stake is … [Read more...] about Senate Grownups Play Childish Games Over Climate Change Legislation
The Impact of Arizona’s New Immigration Law On Arizona and the GOP?
The speculation is now pouring in on the impact of Arizona's new immigration law -- which has been called "draconian" by some analysts. (One immigration attorney who calls it draconian quips "Wake up and smell the teabags..) One of the most interesting predictions comes from an analyst whose audience and bosses may not be too pleased since he didn't say what they wanted to … [Read more...] about The Impact of Arizona’s New Immigration Law On Arizona and the GOP?
Marketing Splendid Pat Tillman Documentary Spurned By Conservatives And Neo-Cons
"God damn sportswriters" is a common expression often heard from the news desks of metropolitan newspapers. I thought of that today reading Los Angeles Times sports columnist Bill Dwyer's mea culpa account of Pat Tillman who was killed in Afghanistan six years and two days ago. Dwyer admitted he was among the hordes of sportswriters and hard journalists who portrayed … [Read more...] about Marketing Splendid Pat Tillman Documentary Spurned By Conservatives And Neo-Cons
About The BS And Cops vs Illegal Immigrants In Arizona
It is extremely difficult in the interest of honesty and fairness to write about the immigration controversy now going on in Arizona. My personal reason is that I don't live in Arizona and witness first hand the pros and cons of the issue. I'm geographically close, however. I have lived in Southern California for all but 13 years of my life now extending into its seventh … [Read more...] about About The BS And Cops vs Illegal Immigrants In Arizona