If you haven't had enough Sonia Sotomayor commentary yet, and you are looking for well-written, smart analysis, here are two such, both from writers with Hispanic backgrounds. … [Read more...] about Two Good Pieces on Sonia Sotomayor’s Critics
Mr. Madoff, Can You Say “Sorry” in Dutch, and in Spanish, and in…
We all know how massive of a securities fraud Bernard Madoff perpetrated on Americans. Some of the more recent estimates put the losses suffered by victims of Madoff’s scheme at $65 billion. Most also know that Madoff’s Ponzi scheme had many international tentacles. But until I read a recent article in a Dutch newspaper, and researched a few other foreign publications, … [Read more...] about Mr. Madoff, Can You Say “Sorry” in Dutch, and in Spanish, and in…
Everyone Should See “Torturing Democracy” (Guest Voice)
Everyone Should See Torturing Democracy by Bill Moyers and Michael Winship In all the recent debate over torture, many of our Beltway pundits and politicians have twisted themselves into verbal contortions to avoid using the word at all. During his speech to the conservative American Enterprise Institute last week - immediately on the heels of President Obama's address … [Read more...] about Everyone Should See “Torturing Democracy” (Guest Voice)
Sotomayor Does Not Make Race-Biased Decisions
See Update below: Tom Goldstein, who writes at SCOTUSblog, has completed a study of all race-related cases in which Sonia Sotomayor participated. Here is what he comes up with: … [Read more...] about Sotomayor Does Not Make Race-Biased Decisions
Good-Copping, Bad-Copping Obama
With a decade of rehearsal, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have their act down pat--the regular guy who never raises his voice and his hair-trigger partner who chews the scenery. After weeks of shaking up by the Snarler, here is the former Decider to sooth our nerves. Defending his torture policy as unequivocally as his vice president has done, Bush gave an audience of … [Read more...] about Good-Copping, Bad-Copping Obama
The Worst Thing About The “Enhanced Interrogations”
I'm on record with many posts saying that I think the "enhanced interrogations" are torture, broke international and domestic law, there should be prosecutions, it undermines our image and makes us more dangerous, that the law maneuvering sets a bad precedent that one day could harm us in ways that aren't in our worst nightmares, so on and so forth. And still, I read something … [Read more...] about The Worst Thing About The “Enhanced Interrogations”
Border Problems For President Bush (Cartoon)
Patrick Corrigan, The Toronto Star ck va This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. TMV runs cartoons from the left, center and right -- drawn by cartoonists from all over the world. Check back often. … [Read more...] about Border Problems For President Bush (Cartoon)
India Protests: Attacks On Students Down Under
Australia is basically a laidback and relaxed country, and perhaps so is the policing. So when the top Indian leadership, led by the prime minister, almost bombarded the Australian top leaders and expressed their concern at the alleged racial profiling of (and attacks on) Indian students at Melbourne and Sydney, Mr Kevin Rudd had to sit up and assure safety to the Indian … [Read more...] about India Protests: Attacks On Students Down Under
Obama: Congress And Conservatives Should Stop Game Playing On Sotomayor
President Barack Obama used his weekly Presidential You Tube/radio address today to in essence tell Congress and conservatives in particular to stop playing political games on his nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court -- which wasn't a full-court press, but wasn't exactly skirting the issue, either. He blasted the Judge's critics, called for her "timely" … [Read more...] about Obama: Congress And Conservatives Should Stop Game Playing On Sotomayor
Letter From Brooklyn (Guest Voice)
Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of letters from Brooklyn, that are actually fascinating emails sent out by former San Diego Union Tribune TV columnist Bob Laurence. He sends these out by email but they are so fascinating that they are virtual newspaper columns and -- with his full permission -- we will start running them here. When I worked with him on the … [Read more...] about Letter From Brooklyn (Guest Voice)
Healthcare: Paying for It
While my brilliant plan is certainly the only possible way to go (he said with a wink), there will apparently be some form of significant government sponsored healthcare reform or coverage passed in the relatively near future. No matter what plan is chosen, it will be expensive. Those who choose an unhealthy lifestyle should pay for this. Rather than taking away choices, we … [Read more...] about Healthcare: Paying for It
Court Strikes Down Gay Marriage (Cartoon)
Daryl Cagle, MSNBC.com This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. TMV runs a variety of cartoons from the left, right and center -- drawn by cartoonists from all over the world. Check back often. … [Read more...] about Court Strikes Down Gay Marriage (Cartoon)
Israel Discovers the ‘Real’ Obama: Le Figaro, France
So just how significant is the crossroads on which the United States and Israel find themselves? Judging by Friday's editorial by Pierre Rousselin of France's Le Figaro, we are likely in a brave new world of U.S.-Israel relations. "Between Israel and the United States, the forecast is no longer for endless blue skies, as it was during the George W. Bush era. The … [Read more...] about Israel Discovers the ‘Real’ Obama: Le Figaro, France
Republican Split Widens Over Handling Sotomayor Nomination As Polls Show Nomination Support
On a day when the White House responded to try and defuse talk-radio host and talk radio political culture Republicans' escalating rhetoric and charges that President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is a "racist," there were growing signs that part of the GOP is now trying to extricate itself from the talk radio political culture. At stake: the party's … [Read more...] about Republican Split Widens Over Handling Sotomayor Nomination As Polls Show Nomination Support
Obama To Name Cyber Czar To Combat Cyber Terrorism: A Can Of Digital Worms?
In the latest evidence that the Obama administration may soon end up with more czars than in the entire history of pre-communist revolution Russia, President Barack Obama announced that he'll be appointing a cyber czar to his administration and for the first time for any American administration will seriously put the potential issue of cyber security needed to combat cyber … [Read more...] about Obama To Name Cyber Czar To Combat Cyber Terrorism: A Can Of Digital Worms?
An unplanned street scene
I work in downtown Austin, almost dead center in the city, in a building on the corner of 6th Street and Congress Avenue. When I leave work, I drive by that corner. Today, there was a very interesting tableau that definitely shows where the slogan "Keep Austin Weird" came from. On the corner, standing on an upturned bucket, was what I gathered to be a performance artist, … [Read more...] about An unplanned street scene
Why Not Sonia Sotomayor? (Guest Voice)
Why Not Sonia Sotomayor? by Jim Bell Opponents to Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation as the next appointee to the U.S. Supreme court have chosen to call her a racist based largely upon a single statement she made to the University of California, Berkley, School of Law eight years ago in a 2001 speech. This time it’s the Republicans who are hammering the point home. They are … [Read more...] about Why Not Sonia Sotomayor? (Guest Voice)
Sotomayor And Talk Radio
Keefe, The Denver Post This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. Visit PoliticalCartoons.com for the best in cartoons from the left, right, and center. … [Read more...] about Sotomayor And Talk Radio
Journalism ‘Doh!’ Moment
Though we try to avoid them, errors are part of the reality of volunteer/citizen media like TMV and other blogs. Even at traditional, commercial media, mistakes happen because ... well, you know, "to err is human." That said, it's reasonable to hope that mistakes are less common among the professional class than the volunteer class -- and that "doh!" moments are virtually … [Read more...] about Journalism ‘Doh!’ Moment
Judicial Temperament and Gender
This New York Times article by Jo Becker and Adam Liptak is a perfect example of how the traditional media can invent a controversy and then report it as if it were a legitimate issue. Under the title "Sotomayor's Sharp Tongue Raises Issue of Temperament," Becker and Liptak go on for two screens spinning a three-course meal out of cotton candy: … [Read more...] about Judicial Temperament and Gender