A young TMV reader emailed me asking about a series of You Tubes I ran more than a year ago, wondering who the moustachioed comedian in it was because he had been so impressed. In fact, the comedian was Ernie Kovaks, a 1950s to early 1960s television comedy performer who was WAY ahead of his time. I was a huge fan of his when I was in elementary school and still remember … [Read more...] about The Ahead-Of-His-Time Comedy Of Ernie Kovaks
Join Us At Michael Arnone’s Crawfish Fest
DONNA THE BUFFALO I have come to see American roots music -- blues and bluegrass, jazz, funk, Cajun and zydeco -- as branches of one big tree. And I've been around the planet long enough to appreciate that long before there was MTV, satellite radio and the iPod, there was an aspect of selflessness in music that seems as archaic as the eight-track tape in the detachedness … [Read more...] about Join Us At Michael Arnone’s Crawfish Fest
Phoenix closing in on Mars
At the time of this writing, we are slightly more than 36 hours from the long anticipated landing of the Phoenix on the cold surface of the Norther polar region of Mars. At least we hope it's a landing, as opposed to an impact. There is nothing simple about pulling off a landing on the red planet and, to date, we are running about a fifty percent success rate. The spectacular … [Read more...] about Phoenix closing in on Mars
Historical Inquiry: What About Clinton’s Apparent Point?
Something of a media firestorm has greeted Senator Hillary Clinton mentioning the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy following his June, 1968 victory in the California primary. I, for one, don't believe that Clinton meant to draw an analogy between Senator Barrack Obama and Bobby Kennedy, insinuating that because the Illinois senator evokes the same sort of passion as … [Read more...] about Historical Inquiry: What About Clinton’s Apparent Point?
Coalition of the Willing to Be Paid
If we're failing to win hearts and minds, it's not because we're cheapskates. Recently, the US Army paid 1,000 Iraqis $320,800 each for "Services Other Than Personal” based on one signature and no further explanation. Such largesse is cited in a new audit of $8.2 billion that finds, according to the New York Times, "almost none of the payments followed federal rules and … [Read more...] about Coalition of the Willing to Be Paid
Come On, We’ve Got At Least A Day: Let’s Walk South Til We Get There
St. Francis of Assisi, after a day of walking far and then even farther asking for alms, came through the forest at last to the giant rocks at the edge of a stream. The little saint said he would be selfish and take the best table in the whole room, that he would sit at the rock table and eat the rough bread the villagers had given him... and then he would take the best … [Read more...] about Come On, We’ve Got At Least A Day: Let’s Walk South Til We Get There
Clinton Apologizes After Invoking RFK Assassination To Stay In Race (UPDATED)
Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton has apologized after today perhaps inadvertently jumping the whale -- more than jumping the shark -- when she invoked the 1968 RFK assassination as a reason to stay in the race, and then apologized after it began triggering a mini-firestorm of protest and negative media coverage. The largely unmentionable issue in American politics is this: … [Read more...] about Clinton Apologizes After Invoking RFK Assassination To Stay In Race (UPDATED)
Obama the Zionist
Why Barack Obama would be the most pro-Zionist President in American history. He managed to single-handedly disprove much of the argument I made alleging that non-Jews could not effectively advocate for Zionism as understood by Jews in the public sphere. Obama's interview with The Atlantic is simply fantastic -- it hits every base I could have asked for. He called Zionism … [Read more...] about Obama the Zionist
Understanding Some of Senator John McCain’s POW Experience: A PBS Film
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM is an award-winning film to be shown on PBS over the Memorial Day week. It tells the story of seven WWII veterans who fought together and were captured together; their "bonds go far beyond surviving combat. The men have joined forces 50 years after the war to conquer a final foe." "Despite the brutal ordeals of being a prisoner, many POWs saw their … [Read more...] about Understanding Some of Senator John McCain’s POW Experience: A PBS Film
We Don’t Talk to Our Enemies…Except When We Do
It's a strategy that has been much maligned, and rightly so. And, as Helene Cooper points out in the NYT, the rhetoric doesn't exactly match the substance. While Mr. Bush and his advisers have repeatedly scorned the idea of talking to enemies without first getting preconditions met, administration policy over the last seven years has been far more nuanced. In fact, the … [Read more...] about We Don’t Talk to Our Enemies…Except When We Do
Leave bad enough alone: the FLDS case gone wrong
Dahlia Lithwick at Slate comparing the Texas raid on the FLDS Church Community with the initial situation in Guantanamo Bay in 2002: For those of you who haven't been following the many legal twists and turns of the Texas polygamy story, today's news of a state appellate court ruling that child welfare officials impermissibly seized hundreds of children from a polygamist ranch … [Read more...] about Leave bad enough alone: the FLDS case gone wrong
Hillary or Death
Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune … [Read more...] about Hillary or Death
Quote Of The Day: Peggy Noonan On Hillary Clinton And Sexism
Is the charge of sexism in the treatment of Senator Hillary Clinton something to be seriously ponder, or a basically political rationalization and a talking point? The Wall Street Journal's Pegggy Noon, in her column today writes, in part, about Senator Hillary Clinton and sexism: So, to address the charge that sexism did her in: It is insulting, because it asserts … [Read more...] about Quote Of The Day: Peggy Noonan On Hillary Clinton And Sexism
Creating the Illusion of Progress and Integrity
The Sunlight Foundation captures a political tactic in Like Swimming in Molasses "At Sunlight, when we learned that Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was convening a task force to address the issue of earmarks, we knew the odds of progress were slim. McConnell is an appropriator, a champion of earmarks and an ardent foe of almost every conceivable good government … [Read more...] about Creating the Illusion of Progress and Integrity
Sexism
Mike Lester, The Rome News-Tribune … [Read more...] about Sexism
Disaster Relief – How to Help! (UPDATED)
Want to assist cyclone survivors in Burma and earthquake survivors in China? TMV reader C Stanley suggests: In reading this story, where China is specifically listing an urgent need for tents, I was moved to research and give to an organization that had been mentioned to me recently - a group that provides tents and other subsistence items in natural disasters. One … [Read more...] about Disaster Relief – How to Help! (UPDATED)
The Declining American Newspaper: Buyouts At The Washington Post
Here's the latest sign of how American newspapers have fallen on hard times: More than 100 Washington Post reporters, editors, photographers, artists and other journalists will take early retirement packages offered by the company as a way to cut costs, reducing the newsroom staff by at least 10 percent. A number of familiar bylines will leave for good or no longer … [Read more...] about The Declining American Newspaper: Buyouts At The Washington Post
Holiday travel fun: trains, planes, and automobiles
More cool interchange photos. And so the holiday travel season begins... James Joyner points to Kevin Drum on the unfriendly skies and the $15 bag checking fee. Last week Fresh Air had an interview with The Wall Street Journal's Scott McCartney who writes their "The Middle Seat" column. He warns us to watch out when we reach into those seat back pocket pouches on … [Read more...] about Holiday travel fun: trains, planes, and automobiles
(Updated) Limited Records Release Shows Why McCain’s Mental Health Is An Issue
Whether a president or presidential candidate should make their complete medical records available is a non issue. Voters have a right to know whether they are physically and emotionally fit. That is why the release today of a carefully redacted and relatively small portion of the medical records of John McCain, the presumptive Republican candidate, is many days late and … [Read more...] about (Updated) Limited Records Release Shows Why McCain’s Mental Health Is An Issue
Metrosexuals versus manly men: a reason voters will prefer McCain to Obama?
Types like she laughs: I never thought about it this way before, but John Ettorre just left a very interesting and unique (because I'd yet to see the argument made nor had it ever occurred to me before now) comment on this thread with Ellen Bravo's ten reasons why women should vote for Obama if he is the candidate. Writes John: And reason #11: he’s a metrosexual, with all … [Read more...] about Metrosexuals versus manly men: a reason voters will prefer McCain to Obama?