To get a real feel for which way the economy is headed, imagine if the things analysts and government officials have been saying about the economy of late were applied to your personal financial situation. For example, these experts say that after falling off a cliff at the end of last year and the start of 2009 the economy has finally bottomed out. Visualize that in your own … [Read more...] about Economic Babble
Assault Weapons Ban (Guest Voice)
Assault Weapons Ban by Martha Randolph Carr Escalating violence in Mexico and border towns in the U.S. from the growing drug trade has increased a call to reinstate the Assault Weapons Ban against some semi-automatic and automatic weapons. The 1994 ban passed by Congress was allowed to expire under the last administration but after investigations proved that many of the … [Read more...] about Assault Weapons Ban (Guest Voice)
Paid Blogger Microtrend?
Jeff Jarvis casts a skeptical eye on Mark Penn's Wall Street Journal column today: [Mark Penn says] there are now more paid bloggers than CEOs... As much as I would like to believe that blogging is a lucrative profession, I’m not sure I buy it — not quite yet. He says that bloggers with 100,000 readers a month are making $75k. Name a few. Still, the trend is heading this way … [Read more...] about Paid Blogger Microtrend?
(Updated) President Obama’s Tortured Disconnect
By SHAUN MULLEN GUEST VOICE Aside from the release of a couple sets of Bush administration legal memos that justified the use of torture, I have made no secret of my displeasure over how President Obama has handled this sordid mess. In fact, it is the signal failure of the first 100 days of his administration. But the more we find out about how broad based and … [Read more...] about (Updated) President Obama’s Tortured Disconnect
Wrestling Megan McCain
This morning I find myself taking one side of a dueling columnist battle at Pajamas Media, with my article on Why Megan McCain is Right. This is poised against Kim Priestap's piece on Why Megan McCain is Wrong. On the surface it may seem difficult to defend the opinions of a 24 year old when it comes to an issue as weighty as the future of a major political party and the … [Read more...] about Wrestling Megan McCain
Obama Is Right On Cuba But Needs To Go Further
Among the many things to come out of President Obama's recent visit to the Summit Of The Americas is the issue of whether or not we should expand ties to the nation of Cuba. Needless to say this has raised the hackles of the hard liners in the Cuban American community and has also served as a point of attack from the right. As my readers will know I have not always … [Read more...] about Obama Is Right On Cuba But Needs To Go Further
Twaddle About Obama’s Toughness
Dick Cheney tells Fox News that President Obama’s handshake with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez could lead “foes” of the U.S. to “think they're dealing with a weak president.” Lyndon Johnson's appraisal of Richard Nixon comes to mind in this growing debate about President Obama's toughness or lack thereof. "Not much here," said LBJ, pointing at his head. "Even less … [Read more...] about Twaddle About Obama’s Toughness
Torture Is Way Cool
Watch the talking heads at Fox laugh and joke about how absurd it is to use a word like "torture" to describe bringing human beings to the brink of suffocation by drowning and keeping them from sleeping for 11 days at a stretch ( Mike Huckabee to Ken and Barbie, who sit there giggling and cracking up: "They've been putting me under sleep deprivation for years now and it's about … [Read more...] about Torture Is Way Cool
Were Obama And Chavez All Handshakes And Smiles?
The big controversy today raging in the old and news media was President Obama's handshake with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. It set off a major brou-ha-ha typical of modern politics: expressions of (what else?) outrage (the most prevalent form of 21st century politics, which is seemingly displacing perspective) from politicos and some bloggers. A charge is made then … [Read more...] about Were Obama And Chavez All Handshakes And Smiles?
Karl Rove Is A ‘Twitter Creep’ Says Meghan McCain
Senator John McCain's outspoken daughter Meghan McCain has characterized Karl Rove as a "Twitter Creep" -- yet one more step in her seeming evolution as a symbol of new generation voters and of Republicans who are not enamored of the GOP's Rove-Bush-talk-radio political culture. Or is it? Is this a case of like (blunt spoken) father like (blunt spoken) daughter? Or of a … [Read more...] about Karl Rove Is A ‘Twitter Creep’ Says Meghan McCain
Waterboarding “Guidelines” and CIA Prosecutions
Marcy Wheeler's Saturday piece reporting that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah were waterboarded a total of at least 266 times has caught a lot of well-deserved attention -- most notably from Scott Shane, who credited Marcy as the source for his article about the waterboarding in today's New York Times. … [Read more...] about Waterboarding “Guidelines” and CIA Prosecutions
Naive Questions About Healthcare Reform
My knowledge of our healthcare system is basically limited to my own experience as a patient. The actual health care has been quite good. But my experience with health insurance has been pretty awful, mostly because I've spent time at three universities and two different jobs over the past several years. Right now, I have insurance through COBRA, which means I still have … [Read more...] about Naive Questions About Healthcare Reform
Weird World: Where Every Budget-Cutting Gesture is Worthless
As of 5 p.m. CT, the Drudge Report had prominently labeled this AP item a "slap" against Obama's earlier-announced $100M cost-reduction effort. I recall (though haven't had time to go back and source) similarly snide dismissals of McCain's earmark-fixation. Running through both critiques is a common, wave-of-the-hand theme: "Posh. A drop in the bucket. Won't do any … [Read more...] about Weird World: Where Every Budget-Cutting Gesture is Worthless
9th Circuit Incorporates 2nd Amendment
In what is almost certainly going to result in a showdown at the US Supreme Court, the 9th Circuit Court Of Appeals has incorporated the 2nd amendment into the 14th amendment. In simple terms this is the first time that the 2nd amendment has been applied to limit the actions of an individual state, in this case the county of Alameda in the state of California. Without … [Read more...] about 9th Circuit Incorporates 2nd Amendment
Labeled
Petar Pismestrovic, Kleine Zeitung, Austria This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Labeled
It Gets Worse Jazz … Rumor Has It Santa Isn’t Real
I have to admit I stunned by the sheer naivete it takes to find it a shocking revelation that Israel might have agents in the US. Why wouldn't they? I bet we have agents in Israel. And France and the UK and Germany and Japan for that matter (and vice versa). And I'm sure they have agents here as well. And sometimes the agents get caught, and get arrested or expelled or … [Read more...] about It Gets Worse Jazz … Rumor Has It Santa Isn’t Real
Thinking Outside The Box — Eliminate West Point
People who think outside the box are either nut cases or geniuses. Isaac Newton, Socrates, Leonardo daVinci, Henry Ford and Newt Gingrich come to mind. Now comes columnist and author Thomas Ricks with a proposal I'm uncertain jumps the shark. Ricks proposes elimination of West Point and other service academies to, uh, save money. The savings would expand ROTC … [Read more...] about Thinking Outside The Box — Eliminate West Point
Glimmers of Economic Hope vs. Pessimism Porn
It's 11 o'clock in the morning (PST). Do you know where your market averages are? Unlike with your children at 11 o' clock at night, you may not want to know the answer to the question about the markets. In keeping with my "optimalistic" outlook on our economy, I will not go there today. Suffice to say, our market averages presently are "down there," somewhere, not in … [Read more...] about Glimmers of Economic Hope vs. Pessimism Porn
Israeli Spies? We Don’t Know What You Mean…
Since so many other people are already piling on to the party, I won't spend too much time wondering why Jane Harmon was allegedly caught chatting up an Israeli spy, likely an associate of AIPAC. The question of the day for TMV readers is the following: what do all of these posts have in common? Harmon Recorded Making Deal With Israeli Agents Harman caught on wiretap … [Read more...] about Israeli Spies? We Don’t Know What You Mean…
Quote Of The Day: Texas Gov. Perry, Secession And The De-Mainstreaming Of The GOP
Our political Quote of the Day is more like "quotes" since Dick Polman gives us much to ponder and discuss as he looks at Texas Governor Rick Perry's talk about secession from the United States, how it was received in a Republican party that in the past would have marginalized and condemned such talk, and what it suggests about today's GOP. Polman begins this way: It's … [Read more...] about Quote Of The Day: Texas Gov. Perry, Secession And The De-Mainstreaming Of The GOP