John Darkow, Columbia Daily Tribune, Missouri This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Guns At Rallies
Get Paid To Vote Against Obamacare
If it doesn't include a public option. Kevin points out that Blue America has raised almost $200,000 to distribute to Dems who pledge to vote against any reform bill without a public option. Since Kevin's post this morning, the total has risen to $277,000. Kevin observes, The Blue America money helps make the promise to vote against any bill without a public option more … [Read more...] about Get Paid To Vote Against Obamacare
New Ideas About Healthcare Reform
Well, they're not exactly new ideas. They're new to me. More importantly, they're ideas that didn't seem to make the cut for either Democratic or Republican talking points. Which doesn't mean they're good ideas, but at least they're thought provoking. (Hat tip: david1clark) In June, New Yorker correspondent and practicing physician Atul Gawande profiled the town of … [Read more...] about New Ideas About Healthcare Reform
Afghanistan: The Fundamentals Of Counterinsurgency
This is a response to Jazz's post from earlier today. Like Jazz, I am disheartened by the carnage in Afghanistan and the lack of progress we've made over the past eight years. But I think Jazz's call to end the war now is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of what US and NATO troops are actually doing in Afghanistan and why. Speaking on Tuesday to the VFW (Veterans of … [Read more...] about Afghanistan: The Fundamentals Of Counterinsurgency
Obama Fights The GOP’s War In Afghanistan
Jazz linked earlier to the new ABC-WaPo poll results on Afghanistan. I'd like to take a closer look at the data. The Post's headline reports, Public Opinion in US Turns Against Afghan War. Among all adults, 51 percent now say the war is not worth fighting, up six percentage points since last month and 10 since March. Less than half, 47 percent, say the war is worth its … [Read more...] about Obama Fights The GOP’s War In Afghanistan
More Evidence of GOP-Style “Bipartisanship”
They now say health care reform must pass with a super-super majority in order to be truly bipartisan -- a standard they never set for themselves during the Bush years, as David Wiegel tells us: … [Read more...] about More Evidence of GOP-Style “Bipartisanship”
The Nonsense Of Over-The-Hill Superstars
I have been a sports fan all my life but concede in the twilight of my existence what once was fiery passion has turned to embers. I'm not really jaded, bored or turned off because of steroids or performance enhancing drugs. No. What bothers me are the superstar athletes who don't know when to call it quits. I'm undecided whether it's the money or a severe ego problem. … [Read more...] about The Nonsense Of Over-The-Hill Superstars
The Ugly Cynicism of Chuck Grassley
Having spread lies and misinformation about the Democrats' health care reform proposals for weeks, and encouraged crowds at town hall meetings and other public events to believe that "death panels" would eliminate the old and sick, that the federal government would force them to give up the doctors they loved and saddle their descendants with debt for the next 10 generations, … [Read more...] about The Ugly Cynicism of Chuck Grassley
A Bit More About The Problems Facing The Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Recently, I posted about being uneasy with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, specifically regarding the use of composite materials. Today NewScientist has a short article that gives a clue as to why there have been so many delays: Why large carbon-fibre planes are still grounded Clearly, composites are a work in progress. The trouble, says aviation engineer Philip Irving at … [Read more...] about A Bit More About The Problems Facing The Boeing 787 Dreamliner
GOP: For a Trillion Bucks Before They Were Against It
I really enjoy reading Froma Harrop. I don't agree with everything she writes, but she strikes me as consistently reasonable and fair. If accurate, this excerpt from her latest is a kick in the head to Republican grandstanding on health care reform: [Democrats] must have been rolling in the aisles this week when Sen. Jon Kyl, Republican of Arizona, announced, "There is no … [Read more...] about GOP: For a Trillion Bucks Before They Were Against It
Obama Buyer’s Remorse? Not So Much
One of the media narratives thrown about in recent weeks is the notion that lots of folks voted for and supported Obama for a variety of reasons in 2008, but have since become disillusioned. Various anecdotes have come forward - some probably concern trollish and some genuine - of people who have developed buyer's remorse. These narratives come from center-right voters who … [Read more...] about Obama Buyer’s Remorse? Not So Much
Oh, Those Tricky Massachusetts Democrats
When a political party stacks the deck in their favor, the cards they are dealt sometimes fall the wrong way. Such is the case of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) who has sent a letter to Massachusetts elected leaders seeking a change in the 2004 state succession law and allow his Senate seat to be filled rapidly. Kennedy, who liberals love and is affectionately called the Lion … [Read more...] about Oh, Those Tricky Massachusetts Democrats
Lockerbie Bombing Suspect Released and Controversy Grows (UPDATED)
The only convicted bomber in the December 1988 Lockerbie bombing which snuffed out the lives of 243 passengers and 16 crew -- and killed 11 people on the ground -- has been released in Scotland on compassionate grounds since he is terminally ill. The bombing was a massive tragedy and a harbinger of the new Age of the Terrorist that was to come -- and there are already signs … [Read more...] about Lockerbie Bombing Suspect Released and Controversy Grows (UPDATED)
I Have No Knowledge of Their Motivations. But…
We've had lots of discussion the last few days about what motivates people opposing reforms that hinge on government-run health care. I've concluded that even educated, well-intentioned, and highly engaged people, regardless of ideological orientation, sometimes seem to have an unfortunate tendency to fit the narrative to a worldview. Take E.J. Dionne, Jr, in a Guest Post … [Read more...] about I Have No Knowledge of Their Motivations. But…
Scotland Frees Lockerbie Bomber
I was just heading out to court when this broke, so excuse the shortness of the post. Scottish authorities have released Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the man convicted of his role in the terror bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988. The attack killed 270 people in the plane and on the ground. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said that his terminal condition (he is dying of … [Read more...] about Scotland Frees Lockerbie Bomber
Things Really Haven’t Changed…
There is much to be said in favor of modern journalism. By giving us the opinions of the uneducated, it keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community. -Oscar Wilde (16 October 1854 - 30 November 1900) Technorati : journalism, media, quotes Del.icio.us : journalism, media, quotes Zooomr : journalism, media, quotes Flickr : journalism, media, quotes … [Read more...] about Things Really Haven’t Changed…
Easy Interpretation
Yesterday, I suggested ... Obama and his HHS Secretary send strong signals that co-ops are firmly on the table, just long enough for GOP leaders to say “hell, no,” prove their craven obstinance, and give the Dem majority all the cover they need to pass the law they wanted to pass all along. Today, validation ... A senior Democratic congressional leadership aide said … [Read more...] about Easy Interpretation
Jon Stewart on Those Fox-y Liberals
Stewart kicked off The Daily Show last night with Barney Frank's confrontation of a Nazi name-calling protester at a health care reform town-hall meeting before moving quickly on to Fox mimicking those winy liberals... … [Read more...] about Jon Stewart on Those Fox-y Liberals
Loving and Leaving Afghanistan
The popularity of our war in Afghanistan is heading in the same direction as that enjoyed by the invasion and occupation of Iraq, according to a new poll at the wapo. A majority of Americans now see the war in Afghanistan as not worth fighting, and just a quarter say more U.S. troops should be sent to the country, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Among … [Read more...] about Loving and Leaving Afghanistan
Switzerland Escapes America’s Fangs: Tribune De Geneve, Switzerland
If what we are reading today is true, the end of Swiss bank secrecy - if it hasn't been reached - is closing in fast. The Swiss Federal Council has made a deal with the U.S. Justice department to hand over the data on 4,450 American clients of the Union Bank of Switzerland, after a long investigation showed that the bank helped them engage in tax evasion. So how momentous … [Read more...] about Switzerland Escapes America’s Fangs: Tribune De Geneve, Switzerland