James Cameron's film Avatar is proving to be a kind of global Rorschach test. Here are two articles that show the way people see a reflection of their own circumstances in the film, which is being lauded as a revolution in cinema. From Belgium, De Standaard columnist Oscar van den Boogaard writes about his extraordinary experience seeing Avatar, and why the film is a … [Read more...] about What Does ‘Avatar’ Mean to You?: De Standaard, Belgium
A Moderate Thinker, I Think
Yesterday I had some fun wearing one of only several conservative stripes in my closet and managed to tweak some of my more liberal friends. I suggested foreign terrorists not be tried in our federal courts. I stand by what I wrote. My brief was these cases be tried by military tribunals. We've done it before. The Bush administration botched the process badly before and … [Read more...] about A Moderate Thinker, I Think
Taking Offense Against Terror
If there really is a "war," why are all the images of it defensive and reactive, from the White House's talking heads this week to yesterday's arraignment of a young man in a T-shirt looking in the artists' sketches like a teenager caught swiping fruit? As two generations of Cheneys fault Barack Obama for not being Jack Bauer of 24, real questions persist about how to fight … [Read more...] about Taking Offense Against Terror
The TSA. Serious, Silly or Sad?
I'd hate to have to work at the TSA these days. A thankless job on the best of days and responsible for horrific disaster when you fail. Some of their rules make sense, while others are just plain silly. We take a bit of a more light hearted look at the TSA today in my latest column at Pajamas Media. Please enjoy and share you own suggestions here as to how they could do things … [Read more...] about The TSA. Serious, Silly or Sad?
New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith, the Real Hero in the Sean Goldman Custody Battle
David Goldman, the father of the little boy who was abducted to Brazil five years ago, fought a more than heroic battle to get his son, Sean Goldman, back. Actually, it was a monumental battle against a powerful, affluent, politically well-connected Brazilian family and against a less than just Brazilian justice system---a battle of classic David vs. Goliath proportions. … [Read more...] about New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith, the Real Hero in the Sean Goldman Custody Battle
Tax The Rich — Now!
We were given two choices to help pay for health care reform. The House plan would impose a 5.4 percent tax on people making over $500,000 a year. The Senate plan would tax "cadillac" health insurance policies, which often became so generous because they were given to working people in lieu of pay raises. Now it seems certain that the so-called cadillac tax will get into the … [Read more...] about Tax The Rich — Now!
Obama Pivots Focus to Jobs: Too Late?
It is now time to seriously ask this question: have Barack Obama and the Democratic party lost a high-stakes -- to them and to the country -- gamble based on a key assumption? The gamble: that political capital was worth expending on health care reform even to the point of alienating key parts of the winning 2008 coalition. The assumption: that they could risk the political … [Read more...] about Obama Pivots Focus to Jobs: Too Late?
Anti-Gay Irish MP’s Sordid Affair With Teen Ager
This Northern Ireland cad -- MP Iris Robinson cheated on her husband with then 19 year-old Kirk McCambley (she was 59) -- is not only female, she's also the most famous homophobe in the UK: There can be no viler act, apart from homosexuality and sodomy, than sexually abusing innocent children. There must be sufficient confidence that the community has the best possible … [Read more...] about Anti-Gay Irish MP’s Sordid Affair With Teen Ager
Clinton: Global Status of Women, Girls “Intolerable” and “Grim”
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a speech yesterday to commemorate the 15th Anniversary of the first International Conference on Population and Development. That gathering included a total of thousands of delegates from 179 countries. You can watch the entire presentation here on CSPAN-2 (and it includes remarks by the first ever Ambassador-at-Large for Global … [Read more...] about Clinton: Global Status of Women, Girls “Intolerable” and “Grim”
2010: The Year of Intra-Party Warfare
Perhaps the "teens" will be known as the Scrimmage Decade. One of the chief characteristics of the 2008 election - aside from the primary battles, of course - was a rather unified front among the bloggers, the talking heads on television and the politicians themselves. There were sporadic exceptions, of course, such as the never ending, quixotic campaigning of Ron Paul's … [Read more...] about 2010: The Year of Intra-Party Warfare
‘Planet Waves, ‘On a Night Like This,’ and Falling in Love
I keep thinking about downloading Bob Dylan's 1974 LP, Planet Waves from iTunes. With all the snow we've had lately, I've had the song, 'On a Night Like This,' from that collection, echoing in my brain. I remember buying and listening repeatedly to the vinyl release when it came out back then, about the same time I fell in love with my wife, snow and ice all around. … [Read more...] about ‘Planet Waves, ‘On a Night Like This,’ and Falling in Love
Peggy Noonan on Health Care Reform
Paul Krugman responds to arguably the biggest canard put out by opponents of health care reform: that Democrats could have had it with no argument from Republicans and total support from the American people if only they had written a bill that barred insurance companies from discriminating on the basis of preexisting conditions. … [Read more...] about Peggy Noonan on Health Care Reform
Best & Worst Jobs in 2010: Actuary & Roustabout
BEST: An actuary evaluates the likelihood of events and quantifies the contingent outcomes in order to minimize losses, both emotional and financial, associated with uncertain undesirable events. Since many events, such as death, cannot be avoided, it is helpful to take measures to minimize their financial impact when they occur. WORST: A roustabout is a laborer typically … [Read more...] about Best & Worst Jobs in 2010: Actuary & Roustabout
Get Over Yourself, Carville
No one wants to look at it, anyway. Except Mary Matalin. Maybe. ______________ … [Read more...] about Get Over Yourself, Carville
Leading Supporter of HCR Bill Has Contract With HHS
When will public figures espousing particular positions on political issues ever learn to disclose actual or perceived conflicts of interest? … [Read more...] about Leading Supporter of HCR Bill Has Contract With HHS
George Stephanopoulos Calls Out Rudy Giuliani for Terror Remark
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani told George Stephanopoulos this morning on Good Morning, America, that "We had no domestic attacks under Bush" -- a statement that, obviously, is flat-out false. Stephanopoulos apparently (I didn't see the show, personally) did not challenge Giuliani on this point on the air, so he does so now in a post on his political blog, George's … [Read more...] about George Stephanopoulos Calls Out Rudy Giuliani for Terror Remark
Sarah Palin as the Pivot for the ‘New’ GOP
I don't know who's advising her at this point, but Sarah Palin is making some shrewd political moves lately that are likely to vault her into a very favorable position as leader of the only real "reform" faction in the Republican party. Since the publication of Going Rogue, Palin has demonstrated an understanding not only her core constituency, but has slightly redefined her … [Read more...] about Sarah Palin as the Pivot for the ‘New’ GOP
Biden’s Mother Dies At 92
Vice President Biden's mother has died after a brief illness My deepest sympathies go to the entire Biden family. A time to be totally non partisan. … [Read more...] about Biden’s Mother Dies At 92
Hope, The Musical, to Debut in Germany
An all-singing, all-dancing tribute to the world's most powerful man: Wearing a knitted cardigan and crooning into his microphone, Barack Obama paces around the stage, wooing Michelle with a love song. In another number, now clad in a suit, Jimmie Wilson who plays Obama, struts up and down, clasping his mike and leading a euphoric gospel chorus of "Yes We Can." It premieres … [Read more...] about Hope, The Musical, to Debut in Germany
Body Scanners, Health Insurance Mandates, and the Constitution
The Transportation Security Administration is planning to make greater use of full-body scanners, even as critics continue to raise concerns ranging from privacy to porn, or in the words of one Congressman: "Do we really need to take nude pictures of Grandma or my 8-year-old daughter in order to be able to secure an airplane?" I'm still waiting for the argument that … [Read more...] about Body Scanners, Health Insurance Mandates, and the Constitution