I'm a bit conflicted about Eric Holder's decision to bring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other 9/11 defendants to New York City to stand trial for their parts in planning the attacks. Today, on Mid Stream Radio -- 1 pm eastern, Noon central, 10 am left coast -- we'll have some special guests on to discuss this subject, if you'd care to stop by and contribute your thoughts, … [Read more...] about The New York ‘Show Trials’ Not as Simple as They Seem
Sarah Palin’s Missing Skin
I'm looking forward to reading Sarah Palin's book. Like Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father, Palin's Going Rogue will likely give insights into how she thinks, and who she is at a much deeper level than hyper-partisan electoral politics could ever give. I expect to come away from reading it with an even stronger liking for her personally -- just as I did Obama's book. She … [Read more...] about Sarah Palin’s Missing Skin
The Cost of War: More than the “Billions Spent on Guns and Bullets”
I have consistently supported publicly honoring our fallen heroes---with the consent of family members---when they touch American soil for the last time at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. Much apprehension and controversy have surrounded this issue. Finally, this spring, the Obama administration implemented a similar policy as we have at Arlington National Cemetery which … [Read more...] about The Cost of War: More than the “Billions Spent on Guns and Bullets”
The Good Old Sixth Amendment Days
Remember when conservatives used to say that "enemy combatants" like the guys at Gitmo had no right to basic legal protections because they weren't U.S. citizens? You know, like in the post I wrote just before this one? … [Read more...] about The Good Old Sixth Amendment Days
The Science of 2012
Chris Mooney -- he wrote the book on The Republican War on Science -- says the scientific plot of the movie is not only bizarre but incomprehensible. Still, he says Roland Emmerich's catastrophic sci-fi blockbuster is evidence that anti-science sentiment in Hollywood is declining: We’re seeing a lot fewer mad scientists in major Hollywood films today, and a lot more … [Read more...] about The Science of 2012
Situational Justice
Charlie Savage on the Obama administration's plans to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four of Mohammed's alleged accomplices in federal court in New York City -- and to use the military tribunal system at Guantanamo to try five other high-profile detainees. This decision is part of a strategy Obama revealed in his National Archives speech last May: … [Read more...] about Situational Justice
Hutchison To Keep Senate Seat
Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has announced that she will keep her Senate seat while running for Governor of Texas. She had previously indicated she would resign the seat to allow for a special election. Officially she is doing so because she wants to remain in Washington to participate in the ongoing debates over health care, financial issues, global warming, etc. This … [Read more...] about Hutchison To Keep Senate Seat
40,000 More Troops To Fight 300 Al-Quada?
As President Barack Obama deliberates -- no, Dick, he's not "dithering" -- a revised strategy and troop levels in Afghanistan, some people in the White House and Pentagon have loose lips and leaked some startling news this past week. If true, consider these developments: The president has rejected four options on strategy and troop levels from his military intelligence team … [Read more...] about 40,000 More Troops To Fight 300 Al-Quada?
Sarah Palin Goes To War
...with the McCain camp. There is yet another controversy associated with the McCain-Palin ticket in which McCain's associates are saying Palin is factually challenged. UPDATE: The AP gives this list of specifics about how Palin's book may be at variance with the facts. … [Read more...] about Sarah Palin Goes To War
Dealing With Conscience-Driven Joe
The Democrats would seem to have two problems with Senator Joe Lieberman. The immediate one is his threat to put the kibosh on the party's signature issue, health care, as a matter of conscience. The longer term threat is that Joe will bolt the party and the Dems will lose their 60 vote, veto-proof majority in the Senate. The fact is, however, that the first problem is … [Read more...] about Dealing With Conscience-Driven Joe
Claude Lévi-Strauss: ‘Neolithic’ & A Man of Science
Claude Lévi-Strauss, who died on October 30th (aged 100), made the study of anthropology as fashionable as philosophy and poetry. The Economist pays a tribute: "Before Claude Lévi-Strauss revolutionised the discipline, anthropology in France, and generally elsewhere, was a matter of ill-attended lectures in small, cold halls, and the collection of feathers and fish-hooks as … [Read more...] about Claude Lévi-Strauss: ‘Neolithic’ & A Man of Science
Terrorist Trials in the Big Apple
That's the word: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and four other men accused in the plot will be prosecuted in federal court in New York City, the United States attorney general announced Friday. I couldn't be more neutral on this subject -- though I'm apparently one of the few. By now, the screaming is at … [Read more...] about Terrorist Trials in the Big Apple
America’s ‘Black Knights’ and the Fort Hood Tragedy: Dar Al Khaleej, United Arab Emirates
CAPTIONS SAYS: 'DREAM OF THE ARABS', AS A 'ZIONIST' ARM PUNCTURES THE BALLOON OF THE DREAM Continuing our coverage of the global reaction to the Fort Hood killings, this morning we posted this Arabic op-ed from the United Arab Emirates - a moderate Arab state considered friendly toward the United States. Writing for the Dar Al Khaleej, columnist Saad Mehyo suggests a … [Read more...] about America’s ‘Black Knights’ and the Fort Hood Tragedy: Dar Al Khaleej, United Arab Emirates
Sean Hannity Apologizes to Jon Stewart Who….(Etc.)
Fox News' Sean Hannity got a little egg on the right side of his face recently. He ran a segment about a recent conservative protest in Washington that was by all accounts not a mega-attended event and used some footage from an early tea party protest that showed far bigger crowds. And Comedy Central's Jon Stewart caught him on it and noted the footage discrepancies (little … [Read more...] about Sean Hannity Apologizes to Jon Stewart Who….(Etc.)
Fort Hood Warning Signs
John Cole, The Scranton Times-Tribune This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Fort Hood Warning Signs
In Search of a GOP Presidential Candidate
David Brooks scans the horizon for a potentially winning GOP presidential candiate in 2012 or 2016. In the process, he discovers Sen. John Thune (SD). The money lines, in my opinion, are these ... [Thune] is a gracious and ecumenical legislator, not a combative one. And ... The first person who told me I had to write a column about Thune was a liberal Democratic … [Read more...] about In Search of a GOP Presidential Candidate
Is Lou Dobbs Planning to Run As Independent Presidential Candidate in 2012?
Lou Dobbs' departure from CNN has had many new and old pundits speculating that there is a job for him at Fox News or Fox Business news in his future, even though it's denied by Fox bigwigs. But could that denial be correct? Salon's Joe Conason believes Dobbs may have his eye on a different future course: on running for President as an independent candidate in 2012, a Ross … [Read more...] about Is Lou Dobbs Planning to Run As Independent Presidential Candidate in 2012?
Obama vs Karzai Over Exit Strategy
Barack Obama is doing what George W. Bush failed to do in Iraq--looking for "where the off-ramps are," according to a White House official. As the President starts a nine-day Asia trip, he leaves behind the message that his Afghanistan decision has been strongly influenced by Karl Eikenberry, the US ambassador who was once military commander there, whose doubts about Hamid … [Read more...] about Obama vs Karzai Over Exit Strategy
Kevin Rudd On Indian-Australian Passion & Relationship
Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd batted spiritedly during his recent India visit and delivered a googly to bypass ticklish issues and move on to substantive bilateral economic and strategic issues that would help strengthen ties between India and Australia. Rudd squarely faced the contentious issues of racial violence against Indian students in Australia, as also the … [Read more...] about Kevin Rudd On Indian-Australian Passion & Relationship
Why a Big CCC Won’t Work Today – But a little one might help
The U.S. is facing massive structural unemployment – possibly for years to come. We can use a few but not all the ideas from the past because the world, and our nation's private sector and Federal government, are significantly different from the 1930’s. THE DISMAL NUMBERS The past decade was remarkable for its miserable job growth and generally stagnant wages, even … [Read more...] about Why a Big CCC Won’t Work Today – But a little one might help