The British tabloid The Daily Express is reporting that the Saudi government has told the head of British intelligence that it's fine with them if Israel bombs an Iranian nuclear site. … [Read more...] about Saudis Green-Lighting Israeli Attack on Iran… Yeah, RIGHT
Lucy in the Sky Has Died
A Bipartisan Success
One of the nice things about the recent success in uncovering the terror cell that was planning to carry out new attacks is that this is something we can all celebrate without getting partisan about it. To be sure there will be some hard liners on the right who will claim it is a fraud or some hard liners on the left who will claim this is proof that Obama is good but Bush was … [Read more...] about A Bipartisan Success
Secret Service Investigating Poll Asking If Obama Should Be Killed
The Secret Service is investigating the origins of a Facebook poll that asked people to answer the question, "Should Obama be killed?" … [Read more...] about Secret Service Investigating Poll Asking If Obama Should Be Killed
Jenny Slate’s Unscripted “F-Bomb” Didn’t Bother Me Nearly As Much…
as what she said next, while following the script: "I swear to God." The Saturday Night Live skit in which Slate accidentally used the four-letter F-word involved two "biker chicks" who repeatedly use the word, "frickin'." Slate slips and, when she does, you can see the chagrin and concern on her face as she puffs her cheeks, as if to say, "I can't believe I just said … [Read more...] about Jenny Slate’s Unscripted “F-Bomb” Didn’t Bother Me Nearly As Much…
“Keep Your Guns, and Buy More Guns, and Buy Ammunition”
That is part of what Kitty Werthmann, one of the speakers at the recent How to Take Back America Conference, told an appreciative crowd. Werthman's speech, in which she compared the Obama administration to Nazi Germany, was available for sale in dvd format. A reporter for Think Progress bought one of the discs and asked Michelle Bachmann, who also spoke at the conference, to … [Read more...] about “Keep Your Guns, and Buy More Guns, and Buy Ammunition”
Apple Denied Health Care App Over Politics
The rejection adds to the litany of complaints against Apple's incredibly successful third-party market for its popular smartphone: Apple rejected a free iPhone application that advocated a single-payer health system, calling the application “politically charged,” according to the app’s developer. Red Daly, a 22 year-old computer science grad student at … [Read more...] about Apple Denied Health Care App Over Politics
Weep Not for Roman Polanski
There is a huge controversy building over something that should not be controversial at all: the arrest of 76-year-old film director Roman Polanski on charges going back to his rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977. … [Read more...] about Weep Not for Roman Polanski
Coming Soon(er): Beast Books
Tina Brown wants to speed up the publishing cycle of books: The Daily Beast is forming a new imprint, Beast Books, that will focus on publishing timely titles by Daily Beast writers — first as e-books, and then as paperbacks on a much shorter schedule than traditional books. On a typical publishing schedule, a writer may take a year or more to deliver a manuscript, after … [Read more...] about Coming Soon(er): Beast Books
The Shameless Hall of Fame
The bar for embarrassment is so high now it's almost out of sight for celebrities who do things that would make the rest of us die of shame. Tom DeLay, who left Congress under a cloud of Jack Abramoff corruption, is ready to sashay in sequins on "Dancing With the Stars." Eliot Spitzer, who resigned as governor of New York for caucusing with call girls, shows up on Bill … [Read more...] about The Shameless Hall of Fame
Bringing The Olympics Home… By Any Means Necessary!
Ok... Ok... The title is a bit over the top but President Obama is going to be the first U.S. President to appear before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to lobby for the Olympics (via The Huffington Post): WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's decision to fly to Denmark to support Chicago's Olympics bid elevates the Games to an issue of national importance – and … [Read more...] about Bringing The Olympics Home… By Any Means Necessary!
Iran And Nukes—The Iranian View
When engaged in an argument, it's always wise to understand the other party's point of view. Not to agree with this view, of course, but as a means to possibly resolve the disagreement in a way that benefits everyone. With this in mind, here's some reasons why Iran might think it is both justified and necessary to develop the nuclear weapons that pretty much all objective … [Read more...] about Iran And Nukes—The Iranian View
William Safire (1929-2009)
William Safire -- Nixon speechwriter, New York Times columnist, and conservative intellectual -- has died at the age of 79. I'll admit, I never much cared for him -- or, rather, for his work: Unlike most Washington columnists who offer judgments with Olympian detachment, Mr. Safire was a pugnacious contrarian who did much of his own reporting, called people liars in print … [Read more...] about William Safire (1929-2009)
“People May Not Be Logical, But Few Of Them Are Crazy”
TED is one of the most interesting sites on the internet, and Jonathan Haidt's talk is one of the most interesting on TED. [Thus his insight is one of the most interesting on the internet, Q.E.D.] [Note: Sorry, I forgot to include a link to an interview that the excerpt and title are from.] He specifically studies what different moral values people have and how it relates … [Read more...] about “People May Not Be Logical, But Few Of Them Are Crazy”
Ondoy: The Katrina Of Asia ? (UPDATED)
Update: Reports now indicate that more than 500,000 people are homeless. Few people have insurance to pay for rebuilding. The death toll now is at 140 but is expected to climb. A story that has not been getting a lot of play in the US media is that of Typhoon, now Tropical Storm Ondoy. The storm has already devastated Manila in the Philippines and is heading for mainland … [Read more...] about Ondoy: The Katrina Of Asia ? (UPDATED)
President Obama: Restoring Chain-Of-Command (UPDATED)
UPDATE: According to MSNBC's First Read, President Obama will be meeting with ALL the players in his Situation Room tomorrow (emphasis mine): Although President Obama has spent so much time and energy on domestic issues in his first nine months in office, last week’s news (Iran and its nuclear ambitions and missile tests, the future of Gitmo’s closure, and Gen. McChrystal’s … [Read more...] about President Obama: Restoring Chain-Of-Command (UPDATED)
Democracy in Deutschland, Revisited
Four years ago, I wrote a six-part series at The Reaction -- "Democracy in Deutschland" -- on the German federal election. It was a fascinating election and a fascinating time in German politics, culminating in the creation of a so-called "Grand Coalition" between Angela Merkel's center-right CDU (along with its Bavarian sister party, the right-wing CSU) and the incumbent … [Read more...] about Democracy in Deutschland, Revisited
This quote seems apropos of the times, despite being written well over a decade ago
Once, long ago, the universe seemed to make sense to me, even if some people in it didn't make sense. Now, nothing seems rational or sensible any more, and something written for a satire seems to be the best description: There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced … [Read more...] about This quote seems apropos of the times, despite being written well over a decade ago
More Health Care Scare-Mongering
Some of our readers, I am sure, read the New York Times. Some---perhaps many---do not. They don't know what they are missing. Some love the New York Times. Some don't. They have quite different feelings towards the venerable publication---too graphic to describe here. But we'll forgive them for that. I, for one, read, like and---most of the time---agree with the New York … [Read more...] about More Health Care Scare-Mongering
Interview with Stephen Abraham
As we steadily approach January, by which time President Obama has promised to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, and as the Supreme Court, Congress and the nation continue to ponder appropriate outcomes, my latest interview in my series of interviews relevant to "the war on terror" (by my count, the 50th such interview) is with retired Army Reserve Lt. Col. Stephen … [Read more...] about Interview with Stephen Abraham