Republicans historically have been known as the Party of Lincoln, the party that freed the slaves. Of course, in recent history that legacy has been tarnished by a long string of politicians and GOP leaders that have said things that can only be seen as bigoted. The recent story of Young Republican candidate Audra Shay responding to a racist comment on Facebook is but the … [Read more...] about On the Heroism of Cassie Wallender
Environmentalism Trumps Jobs
Being a resident of California almost requires you to be some form of environmentalist and I certainly am one who is concerned about the environment and making sure we do what we can to protect it. But I also believe we need a level of realism in balancing the environment with the economy. Unless we plan to move into caves again we need to recognize that work and environment … [Read more...] about Environmentalism Trumps Jobs
Religion and Politics in Iran
This is kind of a wow. … [Read more...] about Religion and Politics in Iran
Cartoonists React To Sarah Palin Resignation
As expected, cartoonists are having a field day with the news that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is resigning. Here are a few of the most recent cartoons. Sarah Palin Quits Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner Sarah Palin's Mainstream Media Player RJ Matson, Roll Call Bailin' Palin Mike Lane, Cagle Cartoons These cartoons are copyrighted and licensed to run on … [Read more...] about Cartoonists React To Sarah Palin Resignation
Big Banks Will Turn Down California IOUs
"No!" That's the message some big banks will reportedly start giving on Friday when they are presented with California IOUs, the Wall Street Journal reports -- in yet another sign of how far California's financial clout and status have fallen: A group of the biggest U.S. banks said they would stop accepting California's IOUs on Friday, adding pressure on the state to … [Read more...] about Big Banks Will Turn Down California IOUs
Regulation Spurs Innovation: The Energy-Efficient Incandescent Light Bulb
The big three lighting companies — General Electric, Sylvania and Philips — are all working on energy efficient incandescent bulbs, as is Auer Lighting of Germany and Toshiba of Japan. The NYTimes: Indeed, the incandescent bulb is turning into a case study of the way government mandates can spur innovation. “There’s a massive misperception that incandescents are going … [Read more...] about Regulation Spurs Innovation: The Energy-Efficient Incandescent Light Bulb
Crazy Old Party
Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Crazy Old Party
Robert McNamara, Architect of Vietnam War, Has Died
Tim Weiner, New York Times reporter and author of Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA (I've read the book; it's first rate), has a long, absorbing article about the former Defense Secretary's career, which is also a mini-history of U.S. foreign policy at the height of the Cold War. McNamara is a complex, contradictory character, fascinating to read about. He was widely … [Read more...] about Robert McNamara, Architect of Vietnam War, Has Died
Conservative Columnist Douthat on Sarah Palin
A reader commented on a recent post discussing Pulitzer Prize winner Leonard Pitts' column on Governor Sanford's "I made a mistake, so all is cool now" excuse as follows: Pitts is a lightweight, predictable Dem columnist, simply less tiresome than worse hack Paul Krugman and more substantial than worse-than-worthless Maureen Dowd. Feeling real bad about my poor columnist … [Read more...] about Conservative Columnist Douthat on Sarah Palin
The Flag of Equal Marriage
From Studio360's Gay Flag Design Challenge comes The Flag of Equal Marriage, an evolving protest flag for equal marriage rights in the United States: The stars on the Jan 1, 2010 flag represent the states that actively perform same-sex marriages. Stars are arranged on the blue field in order of each state's admission into the union. The stars are: Massachusetts - #6 … [Read more...] about The Flag of Equal Marriage
How the Subtext Reads in Governor Sarah Palin’s Resignation Speech
Pundits and Press are likely making a mistake in calling Governor Sarah Palin down for the count, or TKO'd. I listened to her complete speech, and like many others thought it rambled on. But, as a shrink who from time to time analyzes documents and speeches for criminal lawyers, I know that rambling is often only a sign of impassioned assertion and ....not reading from notes … [Read more...] about How the Subtext Reads in Governor Sarah Palin’s Resignation Speech
Rep. Peter King (R-NY): Michael Jackson A ‘Pervert,’ ‘Pedophile’
NPR: Rep. Peter King may be speaking for a lot of people with his tirade against the media for devoting so much time to Michael Jackson's death. Even some of us media people are wearying of the some of the excessive cable TV coverage. King, a Republican congressman who represents a conservative Long Island, NY district, is especially ticked because all this attention is … [Read more...] about Rep. Peter King (R-NY): Michael Jackson A ‘Pervert,’ ‘Pedophile’
OMG! A Palin-Sanford Ticket For 2012
If I were South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, I would stroll down to the store, select a Hallmark card and mail it to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, saying "Thank you, thank you, thank you for getting me off Page One and the cable news networks." Or, as Maureen Dowd in her Sunday column in The New York Times wrote: "As Alaskans settled in to enjoy holiday salmon bakes and the … [Read more...] about OMG! A Palin-Sanford Ticket For 2012
After Palin’s “Higher Calling,” It’s Back to Sanford’s “I Made a Mistake.”
The limelight and media attention during the long Fourth of July weekend has been hogged by a certain lady from Alaska with her "higher calling." While we are waiting for the next shoe to drop in Wasilla, it's time to revisit the many shoes that have already dropped in South Carolina. And who better to take us there than Pulitzer Prize winner Leonard Pitts Jr. While … [Read more...] about After Palin’s “Higher Calling,” It’s Back to Sanford’s “I Made a Mistake.”
Political Quote Of The Day: How Bad Has Palin Hurt Her Chances? THIS Bad
Our political Quote of the Day comes from The Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes who answers the question: how badly has soon-to-be-former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin hurt her 2012 Presidential chances by her abrupt announcement that she'll resign? Given that this is coming from Barnes, this is bad: Forget about Sarah Palin as the Republican presidential candidate in 2012 and … [Read more...] about Political Quote Of The Day: How Bad Has Palin Hurt Her Chances? THIS Bad
The ABCs of URL-Shortening
CNet on the Twitter-inspired rise of URL-shortening services: URL-shortening services are abundant and becoming more so. They're usually designed with a priority on minimum character length, not easy reading: Is.gd, Bit.ly, Twurl.nl, Tr.im, Sn.im", Cligs, and TinyURL. If you want to see dozens more, Mashable has a long list. And the traffic they handle is large. On a … [Read more...] about The ABCs of URL-Shortening
Peace
Our mountain adventure draws to a close, as we prepare to head back down to civilization again. While I'm in for a bit more vacation time still, I hope that most of you at least had a nice, long weekend to relax and unwind from the daily grind. Last night I stepped outside and walked into a perfect moment, as the full moon was rising above the mountains, shining down onto the … [Read more...] about Peace
Medvedev and Obama: ‘Resetting’ U.S.-Russia Ties Won’t Come Easy: Gazeta of Russia
Will President Obama's first summit meeting with Dmitry Medvedev actually manage to 'reset' relations between the former Cold War foes? Columnist Fyodor Lukyanov of Russia's Gazeta newspaper warns not to expect more than atmospherics from the two-day summit that begins today, and outlines why when it comes to the mistakes of the decades since the fall of the Soviet Union, … [Read more...] about Medvedev and Obama: ‘Resetting’ U.S.-Russia Ties Won’t Come Easy: Gazeta of Russia
Pilot-less “Cruel” Drones Under Attack
Britain's top judge has expressed concern about the use of pilot-less drones as weapons of war. His comments come at a time when there is a growing international concern about the danger these pose to the civilians. Drones have become an important weapon against the Taliban in the remote mountainous borderlands of Afghanistan and Pakistan, reports The Independent. "Last … [Read more...] about Pilot-less “Cruel” Drones Under Attack
Interview with David Loyn
Continuing my series of interviews with people "who wrote the book," I bring you my interview with BBC Reporter David Loyn, who has written the definitive book on the subject of Afghanistan and the history of foreign-power involvement there over the last 200 years. The interview follows in full after the jump, and is cross-posted on my blog, "the talking … [Read more...] about Interview with David Loyn