That's Janice Langbehn speaking. Langbehn is a Floridian who was barred from the hospital room where her life partner, Lisa Pond, died hours after having a cerebral aneurysm. Thanks to action taken today by Pres. Obama, other gay and lesbian couples will not have to go through such heartbreaking injustice: … [Read more...] about “I Always Thought It Was a Human Right”
Fox News Pulls Sean Hannity From Starring Role In Cincinnati Tea Party Rally
Is it possible that Sean Hannity -- a conservative talker who seems more like an outright Republican ward activist than a major broadcast talent like Rush Limbaugh, or a card-carrying (former) trained journalist-turned-talker like Bill O'Reilly -- has gone too far in blurring the lines between him, his network, his politics and money? The answer seems "yes" -- at least to the … [Read more...] about Fox News Pulls Sean Hannity From Starring Role In Cincinnati Tea Party Rally
Education Achievement Gap: An International Issue
Dr. Lenora Fulani challenges Rev. Al Sharpton, Arne Duncan, black America and all people to get educated about innovations around the world. See video … [Read more...] about Education Achievement Gap: An International Issue
Steve King Explodes at Reporter Who Asks If He Regrets Justifying IRS Attack
The IRS makes people mad enough to crash airplanes into buildings. That's what Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) essentially said back in February. Today, April 15 -- the deadline for Americans to turn in their tax returns -- Rep. King spoke at Tax Day Tea Party Rally, which took place in Washington, D.C., and was sponsored by FreedomWorks, a powerful corporate lobbying outfit. … [Read more...] about Steve King Explodes at Reporter Who Asks If He Regrets Justifying IRS Attack
Bush the ‘Chosen One’ Deserves ‘Statue of Gold’: Sotal Iraq, Iraq
Whether one loves or loathes George W. Bush, it would be hard not to be dumbfounded by the praise heaped upon the former U.S. president by columnist Jabir Al Jaburi in this article from Iraq's Sotal Iraq newspaper. On the anniversary of the Iraq invasion last week, Sotal Iraq's Jabir Al Jaburi wrote in part: I swear to Allah the beloved that if our mighty Prophet Muhammad … [Read more...] about Bush the ‘Chosen One’ Deserves ‘Statue of Gold’: Sotal Iraq, Iraq
The Untaxed Tax Protesters
The ironic statistic du jour is that, despite Tea Party howling, 47 percent of American families are paying no federal taxes on their income this year. Most are households with young children and (pace the white-haired, red-faced ragers at rallies) the elderly, benefiting from Obama-sponsored stimulus measures, most notably a 2009 reprieve from mandatory withdrawals from … [Read more...] about The Untaxed Tax Protesters
The “Judicial Activism Game”
Judicial activism has become the #1 pejorative term for debates over judicial nominations. The ideal, supposedly, is cast in the famous words of Chief Justice Roberts before Congress -- the non-activist judge just "calls balls and strikes" and avoids imposing his own views. Of course, this is impossible. No judge -- no human being can approach either a particular case or a … [Read more...] about The “Judicial Activism Game”
Even Under Obama, No End to ‘Execution without Trial’: Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany
In terms of public relations, it has been a tough week for the U.S. military. First there was the flurry of scolding commentary over the 'Wikileaked' video of U.S. Apache helicopter pilots gunning down a group of people in Baghdad. Now this article by Dietmar Ostermann of the German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau writes with some disappointment that in terms of protecting … [Read more...] about Even Under Obama, No End to ‘Execution without Trial’: Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany
Ratings: Could Glenn Beck’s Schtick Be Getting Old?
Possibly if these ratings charts and figures are any indication. One problem some talk show hosts (cable and radio) will invariably face is that they gain new viewers by being outrageous and pushing the envelope on their content and how it is delivered. They have to keep doing it and top themselves. For instance, on the left, Keith Olbermann's initial "Special Comment" a … [Read more...] about Ratings: Could Glenn Beck’s Schtick Be Getting Old?
In Praise of the IRS (Guest Voice)
WASHINGTON -- You might imagine that if a terrorist attack killed an American public servant and threatened the lives of 200 people, it would have been big news for weeks and an enduring symbol of the risks taken by those who serve their country. Yet when an American named Joseph Stack flew a plane into an office building in Austin, Texas, in February, killing Vernon … [Read more...] about In Praise of the IRS (Guest Voice)
The PURRFECT Cat Toy: the iPad
Do you need a great cat toy? How about an iPad? A video 4 U: … [Read more...] about The PURRFECT Cat Toy: the iPad
Iceland Volcanic Ash Stops Northern Europe’s Flights
Volcanic ash from Iceland has caused flights all over Northern Europe to be cancelled -- and air space even closed. The culprit is under a glacier in Iceland.The BBC reports: Flights have been disrupted across northern Europe by volcanic ash drifting south and east from Iceland. Airspace was closed or flights cancelled in countries including the UK, the Republic of … [Read more...] about Iceland Volcanic Ash Stops Northern Europe’s Flights
Happy April 15
John Cole, The Scranton Times-Tribune This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Happy April 15
Scott Brown sent me a letter!
It's only been a week since my last dispatch from the fundraising world, but I'm totally psyched about getting a personal letter from Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts. The letter really drove home one critical message about what Sen. Brown stands for:I love my dusty old truck because it brings me closer to the people.Boldface in the original. Underlined, too. When my wife … [Read more...] about Scott Brown sent me a letter!
Cheney: I respect Prof. Kagan
Once again, we're talking about Liz, not Dick. On the same panel where she condemned the Bush administration's "failure" on Iran, Cheney noted that Elena Kagan had been one of her professors in law school and that Kagan was scrupulously fair-minded. Cheney then pivoted to a condemnation of Kagan's "radical" effort to keep military recruiters off campus, but that seemed a bit … [Read more...] about Cheney: I respect Prof. Kagan
Texas Governor Perry’s Moment of “Pants-on-Fire”
When I picked up my newspaper from the driveway yesterday morning, it felt heavier than usual. As I generally go directly to the Opinion section, I found the reason almost immediately. While normally there are less than a dozen Letters to the Editor in my hometown newspaper, yesterday there were a whopping 21 of them, all heavily laden with sarcasm, ridicule, scorn and … [Read more...] about Texas Governor Perry’s Moment of “Pants-on-Fire”
Tax Cuts Be Damned — Lets Abolish Taxes Altogether
A great many Americans are angry about the taxes. There are endless calls to reduce them, almost always a good idea. But why settle for half-measures. Why not just do away with taxes altogether? The simple fact is that everything the government now does can be abolished, done better by private enterprises, or funded by foreign countries that still retain their own tax … [Read more...] about Tax Cuts Be Damned — Lets Abolish Taxes Altogether
Twitter Deeds Archive To The Library of Congress
This morning, @biz (Biz Stone) and @ev (Evan Williams) kicked off Twitter's first official developer conference, Chirp, with some facts and data and a stunning announcement related to the Library of Congress. First, the numbers. There are 105.8 million registered users but 180 million monthly unique visitors to the website. The deduction: non-registered users read tweets. … [Read more...] about Twitter Deeds Archive To The Library of Congress
NY Times/CBS Poll: Tea Party Supporters More Pessimistic, More Angry?
The New York Times has just released the results of a New York Times/CBS News Poll conducted April 5 through April 12. The findings just reported by the New York Times are intriguing: The fierce animosity that Tea Party supporters harbor toward Washington and President Obama in particular is rooted in deep pessimism about the direction of the country and the … [Read more...] about NY Times/CBS Poll: Tea Party Supporters More Pessimistic, More Angry?
The War Against Tom Campbell
Tom Campbell, a former Republican congressman from California, decided late last year to drop his bid for Governor of the Golden State and instead join the race the GOP Senate primary in the bid to unseat Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer. Early on, some feared that Campbell's entry would split the socially moderate vote between Campbell and Carly Fiorina, the former head of … [Read more...] about The War Against Tom Campbell