With Jay Leno heading wrapping up his time at the Tonight Show I have been watching more of the program than I normally do. Generally my viewing of late night TV is limited to when they have a good guest or to watch the opening monologues. But in that viewing I have noted a distinct difference between Leno and Letterman, which I think can be traced, at least in part, to their … [Read more...] about Leno Versus Letterman
For Humanity’s Sake, Put an End to Western Hegemony: The Global Geographic Times, China
Food for thought from China: Is the very nature of Western civilization at the heart of the global financial crisis, the Iraq War, and the failure of Western culture to take hold in much of the world? According to Zhang Wei, the writer of this article from China's state-controlled Global Geographic Times, the Occident had better learn to adopt what is good from other cultures, … [Read more...] about For Humanity’s Sake, Put an End to Western Hegemony: The Global Geographic Times, China
Global Justice Initiative
Josh Meyer has an interesting article in the Los Angeles Times about the greater role the FBI will play in the investigation and prosecution of terrorist activity in the Obama administration: … [Read more...] about Global Justice Initiative
New Dog, Same Old Tricks
Rob Wasinger, a former chief-of-staff to Sen. Sam Brownback, is now a candidate for Congress in Kansas' first congressional district. He's a relatively new dog who has already learned -- or at least enabled -- one of the oldest tricks in the political playbook, namely: Parrot national party talking points, no matter how out of context and misleading they might be. In an … [Read more...] about New Dog, Same Old Tricks
Unreleased Abu Graib Photos Show Sexual Abuse, Including Rape
Gen. Antonio Taguba, author of the investigative report about violations of human rights at Abu Ghraib, has now given an interview to the British paper, the Telegraph, in which he acknowledges that, among the approximately 2,000 photographs of detainee abuse that Pres. Barack Obama refused to release, is photographic evidence of U.S. soldiers raping and sexually abusing … [Read more...] about Unreleased Abu Graib Photos Show Sexual Abuse, Including Rape
A Follow Up To Yesterday’s Massive Interest Rate Spike
Yesterday I talked briefly about how the quickly rising 10 year Treasury is starting to be become a concern and its implications for the economy. This post does an excellent job of describing the underlying consequences caused by the increase in rates: The negative consequences of 5.5% rates are enormous. Because of capacity issues and the long timeline to actually fund a … [Read more...] about A Follow Up To Yesterday’s Massive Interest Rate Spike
Sotomayor’s Singleness
Since the President made so much of biography in introducing his Supreme Court nominee, every facet of Sonia Sotomayor's life seems up for discussion, including her marital history. Divorced in her twenties, the new Justice would be taking over what is being called "the single seat" on the Court from David Souter, a bachelor. At her 1994 appellate confirmation hearing, … [Read more...] about Sotomayor’s Singleness
Tip-Toeing To Peace
Yesterday, I signed on as a supporter of TULIP: Trade Unions Linking Israel and Palestine. TULIP was formed by three labor leaders in the UK, US, and Australia as a counter to the growing movement within the labor community supporting boycotts of Israel. Groups like BRICUP and PACBI, and BDS leaders like Naomi Klein, have consciously placed themselves in opposition to … [Read more...] about Tip-Toeing To Peace
REAL COST CONTAINMENT FOR THE U.S. HEALTHCARE SYSTEM VIA OUTSOURCING.
For several decades and still today, few Americans actually look at their medical bills. That's because someone else was and is paying them – generally an insurance company. Despite the steadily growing army of uninsured in the U.S., over 80% of Americans still have health insurance, principally through their employers. Retirees have Medicare and the very poor have Medicaid, … [Read more...] about REAL COST CONTAINMENT FOR THE U.S. HEALTHCARE SYSTEM VIA OUTSOURCING.
Major Site Design Change Coming Very Soon
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?