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The Moderate Voice

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A Marijuana Political Hangover

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I think I may be suffering long term effects of my drug use in years past — effects most evident in my current political thinking. Indeed, I think many people in my generation may be suffering in the same way. Unlike Bill Clinton, most of us did inhale in the 1960s. A lot. And for years running. This was true not only for people in college in the 1960s, but people like myself … [Read more...] about A Marijuana Political Hangover

Camera Glimpses of Obama Frustration at Health Care Summit

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So what did the (written about ad nauseum including here) recent health care summit that pitted President Barack Obama against his GOP critics accomplish? As I've noted here and elsewhere, it showed (1)both sides had people who did think in terms of substance, (2)the Republicans did have specific ideas despite what some of their critics have said, (3)the philosophical gap … [Read more...] about Camera Glimpses of Obama Frustration at Health Care Summit

Unexpected Impacts

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Often when you are listening to the news they will use little fillers to take up the extra time in the segment. Earlier today I heard a couple I thought worth sharing. As some of you may know the government has imposed new standards for the airlines to comply with. Specifically if the airline leaves passengers on the runway for longer than 3 hours they will be fined for each … [Read more...] about Unexpected Impacts

Live-Blogging the Closing Cermonies of the Vancouver Olympics

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The closing ceremonies got off to a great start with the fourth arm going up -- the one that didn't work during the lighting at the opening ceremonies, the malfunction that got all the overhyped buzz and took on a life of its own in the media -- and with Catriona Le May Doan finally getting to light it, and I enjoyed seeing the athletes come in, all the Canadians, with Joannie … [Read more...] about Live-Blogging the Closing Cermonies of the Vancouver Olympics

Curse of America or Curse of Iran: Iraqi Voters Must Choose – Kitabat, Iraq

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Iraq is at a crossroads, and the upcoming nationwide elections will greatly decide whether the country casts itself primarily as pro-Western, pro-Iranian or the least likely option - independent. According to this article from Iraqi newspaper Kitabat, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has announced that Iraq has joined an alliance consisting of Iran, Syria, Lebanon and … [Read more...] about Curse of America or Curse of Iran: Iraqi Voters Must Choose – Kitabat, Iraq

Imagine If Sodomy Laws Could Be Used To Punish The Stingy, Unconcerned Rich!

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That line is not mine (but it got your attention). It's from Nicholas Kristof's column. Kristof says, "If liberals were less snooty and evangelicals less sanctimonious, what a team!" On the latter: A growing number of conservative Christians are explicitly and self-critically acknowledging that to be “pro-life” must mean more than opposing abortion. The head of World Vision in … [Read more...] about Imagine If Sodomy Laws Could Be Used To Punish The Stingy, Unconcerned Rich!

Major Court Decision in Colombia

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On Friday the Colombian Constitutional Court handed down a major decision which stopped President Alvaro Uribe from running for a third term and therefore majorly reshaped the May elections. Given the importance of Colombia to the US, as both a trading partner (with an FTA still pending in the US Congress) and partner in the war on drugs, the case deserves more attention than … [Read more...] about Major Court Decision in Colombia

A Conservative’s View Of Broken Government

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Tony Blankley, a conservative who has experienced the hard knocks of Washington politics, suggests we won't know whether we have a broken government -- a conclusion already reached in some political circles -- until the Republicans control Congress in 2011. The budget hawks, he argues, will follow the will of the people to curb entitlement spending in Social Security and … [Read more...] about A Conservative’s View Of Broken Government

CNN Will Do Another Independent Voter Panel Discussion Today

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NOTE: CNN's Don Lemon is going to do another independent voter panel discussion today (the most likely topic wil bel panelists' reaction to the health care reform summit). As was the case in weekend segments over the past four weeks, I'll be on a panel with Omar Ali, the historian and independent, voting analyst and Nicole Kurokawa, an independent voting analyst in Washington. … [Read more...] about CNN Will Do Another Independent Voter Panel Discussion Today

Bunning’s Blockage of Unemployment and COBRA Benefits Will Cost States Big Bucks

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Isaiah J. Poole at Campaign for America's future tells us that Sen. Jim Bunning's refusal to allow even a temporary extension of unemployment insurance and COBRA funding that expires tomorrow "is going to end up costing cash-strapped states millions of dollars as well as potentially causing millions of workers to lose their unemployment benefits." Continuing: … [Read more...] about Bunning’s Blockage of Unemployment and COBRA Benefits Will Cost States Big Bucks

Abortion and Women’s Lives

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I know that news about the earthquake in Chile and possible related tsunami in Hawaii has been dominating the news today (appropriately and justifiably so), but here is an article about another human tragedy taking place. However, unlike the human tragedies in Chile and potentially Hawaii, this one -- which is happening because of Nicaragua's draconian anti-abortion law -- is … [Read more...] about Abortion and Women’s Lives

HEALTH CARE HOLOCAUST

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People, real people by the thousands every year, are dying for lack of medical treatment in the world's richest nation, and after a week of politicians posturing over piles of paper, policy wonks are stunning us with this truth. A new study shows 68 Americans under age 65 die every day because they don’t have health care, a number that will rise to 84 by 2019--a total of … [Read more...] about HEALTH CARE HOLOCAUST

A Little Primer On Earthquakes

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Whenever a quake happens we always hear all kinds of discussions regarding how to measure intensity. While I am not a trained seismologist I have always had an interest in the subject and thought I'd offer a little mini primer. There are a number of different scales for measuring quake impact. The most commonly used is the Richter scale. As many have discussed the Richter … [Read more...] about A Little Primer On Earthquakes

The Cats Are Meowing For Charlie

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Charlie Rangel, the smooth-talking gadfly serving as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, is a cat with nine lives. One might say this seasoned pol from Harlem is ethically challenged in today's world casting spotlights on influence peddling from lobbyists. "I think he comes from a different day at school, where there weren't these ethics laws . . . where there … [Read more...] about The Cats Are Meowing For Charlie