NOTE: THERE ARE UPDATES TO THIS POST AT THE END. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THEM IF YOU'VE ALREADY READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION. Hello Readers. Those who are regular or semi-regular visitors to The Moderate Voice know very well that we have gone through various site design changes. The current design (spearheaded by myself, TMV Managing Editor Pete Abel, and Nicasio, LLC.) … [Read more...] about Major Site Design Change Coming Very Soon
‘The Seething Stew’
Thus Kevin Drum [h/t Andrew Sullivan] describes the contrast between Barack "Super Calm" Obama and his detractors: [Obama] gets to be the calm at the center of the storm, providing his usual striking contrast to the seething stew of preachers, radio screamers, and Gingrich acolytes who will be making themselves ever more tiresome to Mr. and Mrs. Heartland with their ranting … [Read more...] about ‘The Seething Stew’
Hardin, Montana — the new Gitmo?
CNN: The tiny town of Hardin, Montana, is offering an answer to a very thorny question: Where should the nation put terror detainees if the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is shut down by the end of the year as President Obama has pledged? Hardin, population 3,400, sits in the southeast corner of Montana, in the state's poorest county. Its small downtown is almost … [Read more...] about Hardin, Montana — the new Gitmo?
Sonia Sotomayor And The Future of Affirmative Action (Guest Voice)
Sonia Sotomayor The Future of Affirmative Action by Michael Reagan Yesterday’s nomination of Judge Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court was a historic moment that all Americans should appreciate. Her life story represents the great promise of the American dream -- Sotomayor has lived in both a public housing project in the Bronx and in the dorm rooms of Princeton … [Read more...] about Sonia Sotomayor And The Future of Affirmative Action (Guest Voice)
Sotomayor Has Empathy For Powerless
center> Cartoon by Eric Allie, Caglecartoons.com This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Sotomayor Has Empathy For Powerless
Stop The Presses!!! Bad Black Men Kidnap Beautiful White Woman!!!
By SHAUN MULLEN GUEST VOICE The alleged abduction of a 38-year-old white mother and her nine-year-old daughter by two black men in suburban Philadelphia this week stunk on ice from the start. It took only 24 hours for that scenario to come crashing down on a local news media that went through the motions of covering a story that was incredible on its face with nary a trace … [Read more...] about Stop The Presses!!! Bad Black Men Kidnap Beautiful White Woman!!!
McCartney and Dylan Reportedly Ready to Collaborate This Summer
They've been signaling their mutual interest in a musical collaboration quite a lot in the past several years. The most recent issue of 'Rolling Stone' contains an excellent Dylan profile by historian Douglas Brinkley in which Dylan is, by turns, uncharacteristically candid, then typically obscurantist. There, he makes clear--or, as clear as Dylan makes things--that he would … [Read more...] about McCartney and Dylan Reportedly Ready to Collaborate This Summer
Tim Roemer: New US Ambassador to India
Timothy John "Tim" Roemer's formal nomination as the US ambassador to India reflects Obama administration's determination to build strategic partnership with this important South Asian country. It may also mark the turning point in the Indo-US relationship. Roemer, 52, seems to have been selected for this crucial post owing to his moderate, bipartisan politics, and national … [Read more...] about Tim Roemer: New US Ambassador to India
In Iran’s Version of Democracy, West Remains Whipping Boy: Die Welt, Germany
The Iranian presidential election is well underway and to the surprise of no one, the leading conservative candidates focus a lot of attention on 'Zionism' and the 'powers of the West.' But of course, things are far more nuanced than that. Offering another glimpse inside Iran, this time of the presidential campaign and some of the lesser-known presidential candidates, is Dr. … [Read more...] about In Iran’s Version of Democracy, West Remains Whipping Boy: Die Welt, Germany
What Is Happiness?
This is not a subject I usually write about, but it is one I often think about -- and this reflection by Simon Critchley, a philosophy professor at the New School for Social Research in New York City, rang so true for me that I thought I would share it. … [Read more...] about What Is Happiness?
Sonia Sotomayor: First This, First That. Does It Really Matter?
President Obama has just nominated a brilliant, experienced and well-qualified person to the Supreme Court: Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Judge Sotomayor’s qualifications, experience, character, etc., will be exhaustively examined and debated by the members of the U.S. Senate. Surprisingly, Judge Sotomayor’s gender and heritage have received almost as much attention as her … [Read more...] about Sonia Sotomayor: First This, First That. Does It Really Matter?
Biden’s Message: Vote Hezbullah and Be Treated Like Hamas – Le Quotidien d’Oran of Algeria
During his recent trip to Beirut when he appeared to imply that Lebanese had better 'vote right' if they want to continue receiving generous American aid, was Vice President Joe Biden just being the gaffe machine we have come to know and love, or was he quite pointedly delivering a message on the part of the Obama Administration? According to Kharroubi Habib of Algeria's Le … [Read more...] about Biden’s Message: Vote Hezbullah and Be Treated Like Hamas – Le Quotidien d’Oran of Algeria
Sonia Sotomayor and Abortion Rights
Amid all the coverage of Pres. Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to replace David Souter on the Supreme Court, not a whole lot of attention has been given to her views on Roe v. Wade. Charlie Savage has an article about this subject in the New York Times: … [Read more...] about Sonia Sotomayor and Abortion Rights
Green Shoots Into Dead Weeds?
The popular consensus has become that the economy has "bottomed" and will most likely resume growth by the end of the year. Even a lot of bears like Paul Krugman and Nouriel Roubini are now more concerned about prolonged stagnation rather than continued economic collapse. I'm just not buying it. Since learning about our problems back in 2006, I always anticipated that we … [Read more...] about Green Shoots Into Dead Weeds?
Judge Sonia Sotomayor: Hispanic? Other Thoughts re Diversity
Well, I could write a whole article about the labels/ monikers Latinos carry... we are Latinos, Latinas (speaking/living in a common Latinate language and bloodline)... we are Chicanos, Chicanas (a self-named title for people of Latino descent who raise political voices)... we are spics and anclas (derisive), indios (derisive), meztisos, meztisas (Native American and Spanish … [Read more...] about Judge Sonia Sotomayor: Hispanic? Other Thoughts re Diversity
PRESIDENT OBAMA MUST AND WILL FAIL
President Obama needs to fail in order to become a better leader. Every U.S. President has met with failures of all kinds, and frequently they were self-inflicted. Great men around the world engaged in politics, business and every human endeavor become great in their fields because they have failed – and sometimes many times. History’s best and most respected individuals … [Read more...] about PRESIDENT OBAMA MUST AND WILL FAIL
Burris, Obama’s Bookend
A newly released transcript shows the President's Senate replacement craven but just short of corrupt in his slavering for the appointment by the former Gov. Rod Blagojevich--more "pray" than "pay to play." "In the call," the New York Times reports, "he seemed almost in a crass negotiation with Mr. Blagojevich’s brother--also his chief fund-raiser--over how he could help the … [Read more...] about Burris, Obama’s Bookend
All You Want To Know You Already Knew (Maybe)
Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only person in the world who occasionally reads findings and conclusions by experts in the health care field and say to myself, "Well, duh!" Two such studies appeared on the Internet today. One debunked the practice many cardiologists prescribe for wearing tight stockings to prevent blood clots in heart attack patients. The other torched the … [Read more...] about All You Want To Know You Already Knew (Maybe)
Judge Sotomayor Appointment
RJ Matson, The St. Louis Post Dispatch This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited … [Read more...] about Judge Sotomayor Appointment
The Sotomayor Distraction
I confess: Over the last 24 hours, I did not understand the rationale behind the GOP's decision to toss its spin machine into high gear vs. Sotomayor. If confirmed, she would not replace a contemporary-conservative favorite like Thomas, Scalia, Roberts, or Alito. She wouldn't even replace swing-voting Kennedy. She'd replace Souter. Days ago, leaders of the modern … [Read more...] about The Sotomayor Distraction