Word is coming out of Albany that Jim Tedisco, facing a growing deficit in the results of the March 31 special election - may concede defeat to political neophyte Scott Murphy today. A finish line could be in sight in the race for the 20th Congressional District. With the numbers not looking good for Republican Jim Tedisco, sources tell Capital News 9 that Tedisco could … [Read more...] about Will We Have a NY-20 Winner Today?
Pakistan: Taliban 60 Miles From Islamabad
Pakistan Government's appeasement policy seems to be boomeranging. The Taliban has seized control of the strategically important district of Buner near Islamabad, provoking fears that militants are attempting to spread their insurgency and their extreme brand of Islam, reports The Independent. "The seizure by militants of the district in recent days underlines the strength … [Read more...] about Pakistan: Taliban 60 Miles From Islamabad
Sir John Maddox: Think Global, Act Local
In this age of super specialization, journalists also find themselves being labelled as 'science', 'environment', 'development', 'politics', 'film', 'health', 'defence' journalists, etc. In the 'science' category one person that became a legend was Sir John Maddox. Sir John, who is said to have reinvented science journalism, passed away on April 12. The Economist pays … [Read more...] about Sir John Maddox: Think Global, Act Local
Does The Republican Party Need Its Moderates?
Amid continuing signs that the Republican party is stuck and unable to chip away at President Barack Obama's election winning and potentially political-support sustaining coalition, once again the question has arisen: Doesn't the GOP need its moderates? To hear some conservatives say it, No way. Moderates are described as wishy washy, people who don't have the clarity of … [Read more...] about Does The Republican Party Need Its Moderates?
Torturing Ourselves
The continuing national debate is getting more and more self-righteous as Americans look for absolutes in a world of moral murk. Dick Cheney emerges from his psychic cave to insist that torture works, but he has no standing after eight years of secrecy and ruthlessness. Barack Obama tells us we are not the kind of people who torture on principle but refuses to punish those … [Read more...] about Torturing Ourselves
Torture in America: ‘Just Following Orders’ – Der Tageszeitung, Germany
According to Bettina Gaus of Germany's Die Tageszeitung, if President Obama obtains a candid and unsparing assessment of the policies of his predecessor by granting immunity to CIA operatives, then it's an exercise worth doing. But if granting immunity is simply for the purpose of not antagonizing government agencies and the military - then according to Gaus, the confidence … [Read more...] about Torture in America: ‘Just Following Orders’ – Der Tageszeitung, Germany
Liz Cheney: “We’re Very Proud” of Torture Program
Marcy Wheeler has Part 1 of Norah O'Donnell's take-no-prisoners interview with Liz Cheney: And here is Part 2: … [Read more...] about Liz Cheney: “We’re Very Proud” of Torture Program
The F-35 JSF Program—International Ramifications
As has been pointed out in previous posts, the existence of and, more important, the continuation or the cancellation of the huge F-22 fighter program, have been used as pros and cons to support or oppose another hugely important defense procurement program: The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter or JSF. Opponents and proponents of each of the two programs have used respective … [Read more...] about The F-35 JSF Program—International Ramifications
Jack Bauer Is Not Dead (Guest Voice)
Jack Bauer Is Not Dead by Rick Moran Greg Gutfeld wonders (parenthetically) if Jack Bauer is dead because the Obama Administration released the memos concocted by Bush era lawyers to justify the use of torture. Earlier today President Obama said charges might be brought against those evil Bush lawyers behind the just-released memos justifying the harsh … [Read more...] about Jack Bauer Is Not Dead (Guest Voice)
Hayden on waterboarding
Gen. Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA, walked a fine line this past Sunday on the question of whether waterboarding is torture. His message seemed to be, "I know it's wrong. I'm proud I stopped it. It may be torture. But in this charged partisan environment, I'm not going to say that explicitly." Check it out: WALLACE: One of the concerns about the memos is … [Read more...] about Hayden on waterboarding
The Bill Collector Blues
Pity the poor bill collector He loved to call and snarl and hector To pester 'bout an unpaid debt 'Bout payments that you haven't met. Pity the poor bill collector He loved to diddle and dissect ya Get you feeling beat and small Just to get you in his thrall. Pity the poor bill collector The long-time ego vivisector Alas these days to get his slice The poor man finds he must … [Read more...] about The Bill Collector Blues
Torture: Did releasing the memos hurt our national security?
Gen. Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA, says 'yes'. I think his argument is on very weak ground. Here's Hayden on Fox this past Sunday: [CHRIS] WALLACE: And you [told the White House] this would be a grave threat to national security to... HAYDEN: I probably didn't use those words, but I marshaled the arguments as to why I thought it would make America less … [Read more...] about Torture: Did releasing the memos hurt our national security?
Did Torture Stop Another 911?
Some thoughts here. … [Read more...] about Did Torture Stop Another 911?
AP And Pew Polls: Obama Popularity High And Country Headed In Right Direction
As President Barack Obama inches towards his "first hundred days" mark, two new polls from the AP and Pew Research Center suggest he's is scoring points and reassuring the coalition that elected him, not making significant inroads among Republicans and social conservatives who opposed him -- and has reversed a years long feeling among Americans that country is headed in the … [Read more...] about AP And Pew Polls: Obama Popularity High And Country Headed In Right Direction
Economic Crisis: Springtime for Hitler?
Mel Brooks' musical "The Producers" will be performed in Berlin in May, writes Der Spiegel (in English). It's not that much of a controversy. Just the usual "Should one be allowed to laugh about Hitler?" newspaper articles. A bit more shocking is the comment by the heads of the Federation of German Trade Unions Michael Sommer, who suggested that Nazis might rise outside the … [Read more...] about Economic Crisis: Springtime for Hitler?
Accusations of Bias for Pirate Bay Judge
Gizmodo: Tomas Norström, the judge who sentenced the Pirate Bay Four, was recently found to have been a member of two copyright advocacy organizations, prompting rumblings about a mistrial. Some Swedish attorneys believe that Norström's membership of the Swedish Copyright Association and the Swedish Association for the Protection of Industrial Property (where he is a board … [Read more...] about Accusations of Bias for Pirate Bay Judge
The Lessons of Sri Lanka
Guest post by Peter S. Henne Peter S. Henne is a Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project and a doctoral candidate at Georgetown University. On picturesque Sri Lanka, a brutal conflict has been raging for nearly three decades between the majority-Sinhalese government and the militant Tamil opposition group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The … [Read more...] about The Lessons of Sri Lanka
On Torture
I don't have a whole lot to add to the discussion of the torture memos that doesn't echo what has already been said. Of the two debates currently taking place about the implications of the memos—one about whether preventing another terrorist attack justifies torture and another about whether or not to bring those responsible to justice—I am only really interested in … [Read more...] about On Torture
Insurance Is The Problem (Guest Voice)
Insurance Is The Problem by Jim Bell Many of us have this dream that we could have less government in our lives and a better quality of life at the same time. Seems silly doesn’t it? When you look at it objectively, we give the government a lot of money with our taxes. The only thing we need in life from government is a good, safe life and the ability to exercise our … [Read more...] about Insurance Is The Problem (Guest Voice)
Buying American
This morning, on Mid Stream Radio, Cindy and I will be talking to Roger Simmermaker, the author of How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism. We'll talk about the difficulties Americans face in finding "Made in the USA" type products on the shelves and the impact of government policy on prices, product quality, wages and unions. Tune in at the link above … [Read more...] about Buying American