Apparently, WaPo commenters "are still all fired up about Justice Samuel Alito's murmured 'not true' response to President Obama's pointed criticism of a Supreme Court decision in his State of the Union message." The referenced decision was, of course, the Court's 5-4 ruling on Jan. 20 in the Citizens United case. Elsewhere, with limited fanfare, the city council of a … [Read more...] about City Council Schools Supreme Court
Who are the Independent Voters and How do they View the Obama Adminsitration? (VIDEO)
Here's a video clip of a CNN discussion on "Who are the independents in America? And what is their take on what is working and not working with the Obama administration?" that ran Sunday on Don Lemon's newscast.The panel included Dr. Omar Ali, a professor of history at Towson University in Maryland and a national spokesperson of the independent movement, Nicole Kurokawa of the … [Read more...] about Who are the Independent Voters and How do they View the Obama Adminsitration? (VIDEO)
If You’re In The Mood For a Hilarious Movie
I recommend Noises Off. I'm not sure why I thought about it this morning, but I did and it made my day. I've seen it three times over the course of my life and laugh harder each time. The last time I had to stop watching it for about 10 minutes because my diaphragm was cramping and I was worried about it starting to spasm so much I wouldn't be able to breathe. After the movie … [Read more...] about If You’re In The Mood For a Hilarious Movie
End of American “Exceptionalism”
For too long we have lived under the myth that the U.S. is better, smarter, stronger, richer, uniquely special, and simply “exceptional” when compared with the rest of the world. The past few years should have put to rest that massive delusion. Many well-known commentators and pundits in the blogosphere and Media have lamented for years our nation’s utter inability to … [Read more...] about End of American “Exceptionalism”
Republicans Use Military as a Stage Prop (Yet Again)… and This Time May Have Broken the Law
Guest post by Rob Diamond Rob Diamond, a Truman National Security Fellow, is a Senior Vice President at Realty Capital International LLC, a global real estate investment banking and advisory firm. He was previously a Vice President at Bear Stearns & Co. Prior to his career in finance, he served as an officer in the United States Navy, completing deployments in support of … [Read more...] about Republicans Use Military as a Stage Prop (Yet Again)… and This Time May Have Broken the Law
Sometimes You Don’t Know Whether To Laugh Or To Cry…Right Now I’m Doing Both
I don't know about you guys, but to me it seems like our politics and economics are growing increasingly surrealistic and absurd. I'm growing increasingly convinced that we are actually in the largest performance art piece the world has ever seen, and at some point millions of people will just be like, "Surprise! We got you!" I recently discovered that this phenomenon isn't … [Read more...] about Sometimes You Don’t Know Whether To Laugh Or To Cry…Right Now I’m Doing Both
Haiti: Stars and Stripes Finally There
If the title sounds somewhat enigmatic, bear with me. It should soon become obvious that I am not talking about that much-dreaded U.S. “military invasion” of Haiti. While deployed overseas during my military days, sometimes the only newspaper in English, the only source of news from back home, was the venerable Stars and Stripes newspaper. I say venerable with good … [Read more...] about Haiti: Stars and Stripes Finally There
Chemical Ali and the Unfolding Fraud of Iraq’s Elections: Kitabat, Iraq
Saddam's cousin 'Chemical Ali,' moments before his hanging: From mass killer to political football. Trying to make sense of Iraq's political scene is a daunting challenge at the best of times, let alone before a major round of national elections. With the control of the National Assembly at stake and the United States wanting to keep the situation as free of American … [Read more...] about Chemical Ali and the Unfolding Fraud of Iraq’s Elections: Kitabat, Iraq
Thank You, Justice Alito (Guest Voice)
WASHINGTON -- The nation owes a substantial debt to Justice Samuel Alito for his display of unhappiness over President Obama's criticisms of the Supreme Court's recent legislation -- excuse me, decision -- opening our electoral system to a new torrent of corporate money. Alito's inability to restrain himself during the State of the Union address brought to wide … [Read more...] about Thank You, Justice Alito (Guest Voice)
Want Your Mind To Be Blown?
Focus on the left hand side and take note of the rotation. Then focus on the right hand side. Just make sure you have a few minutes to waste as you'll probably want to do it again and again. (Dunno source, just got it through digg). Update: It took a while, but I found an explanation. … [Read more...] about Want Your Mind To Be Blown?
Haiti: U.S. Military Airlift of Injured Earthquake Victims to Resume
According to the New York Times, the White House has just announced that the U.S. military will resume the airlift of seriously injured Haitians to American hospitals. “The humanitarian effort was suspended five days ago following complaints from the state of Florida that its hospitals were overwhelmed.” The flights, which have transported hundreds of gravely injured … [Read more...] about Haiti: U.S. Military Airlift of Injured Earthquake Victims to Resume
Tiny Levities…
My family far away back in the semi-rural northwoods thinks Forwarding jokes, and uh, more jokes, and er, even more Re-RE-RE Forwards of jokes are like daily aerobics, you know. I think they do it for their health and for the good of others and also in the interest of "saving 'Merika?" They drive me nuts. Not my family, just the re re re-sending of jokes with lots of … [Read more...] about Tiny Levities…
Tea (Parties) and Sympathy
In the current issue of the New Yorker, my old classmate Ben McGrath goes inside the Tea Party movement. Ben is determined not to write-off the Tea Partiers as right-wing kooks. Still, try as he might, I think he edges clearly in that direction by the end of his profile. Still, he warns of the danger of underestimating the Tea Party phenomenon:The involvement of people like … [Read more...] about Tea (Parties) and Sympathy
Time Flies When Nothing Changes
Was it really only two days ago that Barack Obama and the GOP engaged with each other in that remarkable Q&A session in Baltimore? Friday night I was ecstatic, but in the two days since, I haven't seen much of that savvy, perceptive, focused POTUS. Instead, I've seen one news item after another that makes me wonder where that president went to. … [Read more...] about Time Flies When Nothing Changes
On Leaving Iraq
I want our troops out of that country as much as anyone. Unfortunately, I find myself in complete agreement with Tom Ricks, author of Fiasco and The Gamble and now a special military correspondent for the WaPo, who said last week on Fresh Air: When people say, oh, we should just get out of Iraq, we gave them a chance, in my heart I agree. I think staying in Iraq is wrong for … [Read more...] about On Leaving Iraq
NY Times vs. liberal censorship
Good for them:The 30-second [Super Bowl] spot, financed by the conservative religious group Focus on the Family, is said to recount the pregnancy of Pam Tebow, mother of the college football star Tim Tebow. After falling ill during a mission to the Philippines, she ignored a recommendation by doctors to abort her fifth child, who became the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner. The … [Read more...] about NY Times vs. liberal censorship
The Race is on to win over Independent Voters
The race is on between both parties to win over independent voters and the key questions will be (1) which party can do it and (2) which party's dominant ideological base will try to put a stop to efforts to broaden its party's coalition. A look at some news stories shows the growing theme of the independent voter. Here's a cross section: --Public Opinion Strategies' Glen … [Read more...] about The Race is on to win over Independent Voters
Deficits, of Budget and Attention
Within 24 hours this weekend, the President tackled two national shortfalls--dollars and cents in the government's income vs. expenditures, civility and sense in the partisan debate over remedies for an economy ravaged by recession. In his weekly address yesterday, Mr. Obama zeroed in on seven Republicans who had sponsored a bipartisan commission for deficit reduction but … [Read more...] about Deficits, of Budget and Attention
New Terrorist Threat: Bombs Surgically Implanted IN Bodies?
When the underwear bomber story broke, many people were wondering "What next? What'll be the new twist from here?" And now a possible answer: according to a report, terrorists are going to try to get around body scanners by having bombs surgically implanted inside of bombers' bodies: Britain is facing a new Al Qaeda terror threat from suicide ‘body bombers’ with explosives … [Read more...] about New Terrorist Threat: Bombs Surgically Implanted IN Bodies?
Solar Sanity Has Arrived
I was very active in the solar energy movement in the 1970s. Active in the small sane fringe of that movement during this period. The fringe that wasn't obsessed with the long-term potential of solar; that wasn't obsessed with creating massive government bureaucracies to plan for near-term, mid-term, and long-term implementations of solar; the sane fringe that didn't see … [Read more...] about Solar Sanity Has Arrived