Honestly, what's the world coming to when "Socialized Medicine" doesn't scare people anymore? Incidentally, the first time I ever heard the term "socialized medicine", it was in a text book discussion of the Polio Vaccine -- specifically, where Eisenhower-era Republicans objected to distributing the vaccine for free on that grounds. So that may be why I don't find the term … [Read more...] about Faded Red
This is sexist? Really? For real?
According to Big Tent Democrat at Talk Left, the remarks by Senator Obama about Senator Clinton, in the video below, are sexist: For those that can't see the video, here is the meat: I understand that Senator Clinton, periodically when she's feeling down, launches attacks as a way of trying to boost her appeal. - Senator Barack Obama, February 15, 2008 I'm … [Read more...] about This is sexist? Really? For real?
“How to Make Great Teachers”…
I was a full-time journalist for more than two decades. And have been a teacher for a decade now. I enjoyed the article below, especially as a weekend read...A welcome relief from the almost morbid fixation on thrills/sensationalism related to politics (as if nothing else matters in life!!!)... "We never forget our best teachers - those who imbued us with a deeper … [Read more...] about “How to Make Great Teachers”…
Bizarre That We Keep Missing the Point
Bizarre is one of the most misused words in the news media, and CNN really hit the ball out of the park with this one: "A firearms dealer in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Friday confirmed a bizarre link between the graduate student accused of killing five people at Northern Illinois University and the gunman in last year's deadly shootings at Virginia Tech. "A Web site used … [Read more...] about Bizarre That We Keep Missing the Point
Guest Voice: Bill Clinton: Threat or Menace?
This Guest Voice column is by Will Durst, a political comedian who performs around the world. Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Moderate Voice or its writers. Bill Clinton: Threat or Menace? Raging Moderate, by Will Durst It’s desperation time in Hillaryville. They’re putting out fires faster than a Rocky Mountain ranger station during … [Read more...] about Guest Voice: Bill Clinton: Threat or Menace?
Politics & Never Having To Say You’re Sorry
For someone whose handlers said they didn't expect to win any more February primaries, Hillary Clinton is campaigning in Wisconsin like her life depends on it. Which politically speaking, it does. Despite numerous promises to take the high road after his mudslinging backfired in South Carolina, Bill Clinton is at it again, assailing Barack Obama because he wasn't a part of … [Read more...] about Politics & Never Having To Say You’re Sorry
Pakistan Elections: A PPP Candidate Escapes Unhurt
Just two days before Pakistan goes to poll, at least 12 people have been killed in a blast outside the late Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) office in Kurram Agency in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Several people, too, have been injured while the PPP candidate Riaz Hussain Shah, who was in the office, reportedly escaped unhurt. Read here... Violence … [Read more...] about Pakistan Elections: A PPP Candidate Escapes Unhurt
Book Review: ‘Agent Zigzag’
Was there a more enigmatic and successful World War II double agent than Eddie Chapman? I don’t think so. Chapman, a charming con man, philanderer, safecracker and self-taught explosives expert, offered to work as a spy for the Germans in 1940, but gave himself over to the British after being parachuted into England in 1942 with a wireless set, revolver and cyanide pill … [Read more...] about Book Review: ‘Agent Zigzag’
Pakistan Elections Feb 18: A Roundup Of Fears/Dangers…
On Monday (February 18) morning, 64,000 polling stations will open in Pakistan's 272 constituencies. Polling stations are thought likely to shut at 5 pm local time, and counts will be completed some two or three hours later. So will the elections be fair? "On a scale from terrible to great, it'll be somewhere in the middle" is what Richard Boucher, the US assistant secretary … [Read more...] about Pakistan Elections Feb 18: A Roundup Of Fears/Dangers…
‘War on Terror’ Strikes at the Heart of NATO …
Why don't some NATO members wish to send more of their troops into harm's way in Afghanistan? According the editorial board of the NRC Handelsblad of The Netherlands, the issue is the 'War on Terror' itself. The editorial says in part, 'The fact is that terrorism as an entity doesn't exist. … contemporary terrorism is really just a fluid method of combat that one cannot bomb … [Read more...] about ‘War on Terror’ Strikes at the Heart of NATO …
Obituary: The Maharishi (A “Benign” ex-Guru of Beatles)
I was a Beatles' fan in my teens. A few years after the famous British pop group had visited their Guru's ashram, I undertook a journey to Rishikesh in India. Situated on the banks of the mighty/holy river Ganga/Ganges when it enters the plains (with the Himalayas providing a picturesqe backdrop), the ashram became our abode for a few days in the early 1970s. Our co-blogger at … [Read more...] about Obituary: The Maharishi (A “Benign” ex-Guru of Beatles)
Bill Clinton On Sharp Attack Against Obama Again (UPDATED)
The upcoming primaries in Ohio and Texas are widely-considered as critical for Senator Hillary Clinton to regain momentum against Senator Barack Obama. So, just as he surfaced after his wife lost Iowa and began a series of controversial personal attacks on Obama, Bill Clinton is back in the negative campaigning saddle again. And, as this news report shows, his statements … [Read more...] about Bill Clinton On Sharp Attack Against Obama Again (UPDATED)
This Risk of Being Moderate in Congress
The Wall Street Journal article "Primary Sends Shivers Through Capitol Moderates" profiles the fate of incumbent Congresspeople who are perceived as straying too far from their party's base. While the prodigal Democrats are targeted by MoveOn and ActBlue, the Republicans are targeted by the "Club for Growth." "We'll be working this fall for 'more' Democrats, but today we … [Read more...] about This Risk of Being Moderate in Congress
‘God Bless America’: George W. Bush Will Soon ‘Walk on Our Soil’
With President Bush expected to step off Air Force one in the obscure West African nation of Benin, the people of the country are prepared to shower him with almost unprecedented praise. It will be the first visit of an American head of state in that nation's history. In the gushing words of this op-ed article from Benin's Fraternite newspaper, 'To state it plainly, the boss of … [Read more...] about ‘God Bless America’: George W. Bush Will Soon ‘Walk on Our Soil’
Parsing Support for Campaign Finance Reform
The AP reports that McCain scolds Obama on campaign funds "If Senator Obama goes back on his commitment to the American people, then obviously we'd have to rethink our position," McCain said. "Our whole agreement was that we would take public financing if he made that commitment as well. And he signed a piece of paper, I'm told, that made that commitment." To me this is … [Read more...] about Parsing Support for Campaign Finance Reform
What the Heck Are These Guys Talking About?
WHY ARE THESE MEN NOT SMILING? President Bush claimed today that the failure of House Democrats to approve an extension of a controversial domestic surveillance wiretapping program means "our country is more in danger of an attack." Vice President Cheney said he also is very concerned. Since Bush's unprecedented powers as president are not compromised, Cheney is above … [Read more...] about What the Heck Are These Guys Talking About?
The Politics of Murder
Déjà vu won't do. Recurring nightmare is a better description for what happened yesterday on a college campus in DeKalb, Illinois--an armed-to-the-teeth gunman, random shooting, sudden deaths. This time there were five victims, plus the shooter, who stepped from behind a curtain in a lecture hall and started firing indiscriminately before killing himself on the stage. He had … [Read more...] about The Politics of Murder
Popeye McCain
RJ Matson, The St. Louis Post Dispatch … [Read more...] about Popeye McCain
Tortured Times: The Shame of Mukasey, Schumer, Feinstein, Scalia & McCain
PRESIDENT NIXON GREETS RETURNING POW McCAIN No one in their right mind would believe that the last year of the Reign of Bush would be any less tendentious than previous years. There are, for example, the latest flurry of presidential signing statements and the lame duck's insistence that telecoms be granted retroactive immunity for embracing his initiatives to spy on their … [Read more...] about Tortured Times: The Shame of Mukasey, Schumer, Feinstein, Scalia & McCain
Hillary Rodham Clinton: “Don’t Write Her Off…”
Barack Obama's dramatic/impressive recent victories have generated a pro-Obama hysteria in the media and the blogosphere. To an outsider, it may appear that Hillary Clinton is now lagging far behind and may not make it to the White House. However, in an extremely well written article Gerard Baker, the United States Editor and an Assistant Editor of The Times of London, argues … [Read more...] about Hillary Rodham Clinton: “Don’t Write Her Off…”