Before writing this, I’ve been asking myself: Is there a time to be politically incorrect in order to state a needed truth? What if you pass over known truths, and thus care is not considered nor firewalls set against harms that are almost guaranteed to occur in a plan of good intents? With regard to governmental benefit programs of every kind for the poor... as a former … [Read more...] about SCHIP: A Former Welfare Mother Asks Questions: Has A New Definition of What Constitutes Being “Poor” Been Created, and By Whom? Part 3 of 3
Turkish-PKK Dispute: Then & Now
Turkish soldier patrols near Iraqi border The historic enmity between Turkey and the Kurdish separatists who now face the prospect of Turkish military strikes in northern Iraq is not something that you can blame on the Bush administration. But it is one more monkey-wrench in a war that was supposed to be over in months, if not weeks, and of course shows no sign of ending … [Read more...] about Turkish-PKK Dispute: Then & Now
Sarkozy and Bush: ‘De Gaulle Must be Turning in His Grave’
According to this op-ed article from the Tunis Hebdo of the former French colony of Tunisia, by kissing up to the lame-duck Bush Administration, Nicolas Sarkozy has both betrayed France's long tradition of independence from United States and hurt France's position in the eyes of U.S. Democrats, who seem certain to take over in 2008. The Tunis Hebdo regularly contains some of … [Read more...] about Sarkozy and Bush: ‘De Gaulle Must be Turning in His Grave’
‘Proof’ of Iranian Control Over Iraqi Satellite TV …
According to this op-ed article from Iraq's Kitabat newspaper, the content on Iraqi television is proof enough that broadcasters are caught up in Iran's, 'anti-American scheme, which seeks to oppose America in Iraq by means of Shiite parties, al-Qaeda and remnants of the Baath Party. "Even on a popular game show, a team from a Shiite area is matched with one from a Sunni … [Read more...] about ‘Proof’ of Iranian Control Over Iraqi Satellite TV …
Terror Beach
Jeff Parker, Florida Today … [Read more...] about Terror Beach
House Armenian “Genocide” Vote Increasingly Seen As Political Turkey
The move to get a vote in the House of Representatives condemning the killings of Armenians nearly 100 years ago has seemingly hit a big, fat political snag: The vote is increasingly being seen as a political and a U.S. national interest turkey. The Christian Science Monitor: The sudden misgivings about a popular House resolution condemning as "genocide" the … [Read more...] about House Armenian “Genocide” Vote Increasingly Seen As Political Turkey
Vetoing Children’s Health Insurance
RJ Matson, The St. Louis Post Dispatch … [Read more...] about Vetoing Children’s Health Insurance
High Noon for S-CHIP
In the President’s favorite movie, the righteous hero stands alone and guns down the bad guys. Bush has played Gary Cooper in the showdowns over Iraq, and now he is facing down the villains in the S-CHIP fight. But Bush has modeled himself on the wrong 1950s western. True to Washington and Hollywood, “High Noon†is more about pride and calculation than humanity. Those … [Read more...] about High Noon for S-CHIP
Why Al Gore is ‘Up Against the Wall’ …
For Al Gore, is winning the Nobel Peace prize more of an honor or a dilemma? According to this op-ed article from France's Liberation, deciding whether to run for president again could be excruciating - but not as excruciating as another electoral defeat. "It was as if the Norwegian committee had an ulterior motive: to embarrass President Bush and propel his unfortunate … [Read more...] about Why Al Gore is ‘Up Against the Wall’ …
Endorsements from the Wrong Fellows
The Westboro Baptist Church, a radical anti-gay Christian organization, tried to argue that Fred Thompson "saw eye to eye" with their views on homosexuality. A Thompson campaign spokesperson shot them down right quick. Bob Jones University, which has issues with interracial dating (and really, Black people in general) and whose leaders have called both Mormonism and Catholicism … [Read more...] about Endorsements from the Wrong Fellows
The Mighty Mukasey
Earlier, Joe Gandelman joined the cast of those predicting Mukasey was "in" for U.S. Attorney General. Elsewhere, the NYT ed board encouraged Senators to give Mukasey the third degree, regardless of the pre-hearing buzz, noting the extensiveness of the prior-inflicted wounds at (and via) the DOJ. Apparently, the Senators on the panel listened to the NYT, threw their best … [Read more...] about The Mighty Mukasey
American Conference to ‘Cheat’ the Palestinians
Is the U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace conference next month geared toward cheating the Palestinians, rather than finding an equitable solution to the region's woes? According to this op-ed article from Syria's state-run Teshreen newspaper, beyond cheating the Palestinians, the conference is intended to absorb some of the global resentment that has intensified toward President … [Read more...] about American Conference to ‘Cheat’ the Palestinians
When Warrantless Wiretaps Go Bad
Mike Lane, Cagle Cartoons … [Read more...] about When Warrantless Wiretaps Go Bad
Medal Of General Discretion
RJ Matson, The St. Louis Post Dispatch … [Read more...] about Medal Of General Discretion
Center of Attention
A round up of recent posts by various bloggers who either attempt to strike a balanced note on heated debates and controversial issues, or improve our ability to find our own sense of balance by exposing us to new information and different points-of-view. -------------------------- If, like me, you were thinking hoping the Religious Right and its skewed, divisive tactics … [Read more...] about Center of Attention
Alex Jimenez As FISA Poster Boy
Alex & Yaderlin Jimenez If some conservatives have their way, Alex Jimenez will become to an expanded domestic-spying program what Graeme Frost became to the expanded S-CHIP program: A human face on a contentious political issue. Frost, of course, is the 12-year-old who gave a Democratic Party radio rebuttal to President Bush’s veto of a bill to expand the State … [Read more...] about Alex Jimenez As FISA Poster Boy
Well-Received Mukasey Likely To Be Confirmed As Attorney General
The Bush administration's candidate for Attorney General is proving to be a choice who's quickly picking up bipartisan support -- the kind of "consensus" choice many have long sought. It looks like he now has one powerful and previously balking Democrat nearly in his corner: The chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee said Tuesday he expects Michael Mukasey … [Read more...] about Well-Received Mukasey Likely To Be Confirmed As Attorney General
Free Flow of Information Act Passes the House: The Scribes in the USA Have A Fine Horse in That Race
We had a board meeting of the Authors Guild today. Three of us on scratchy speaker-phone from mountain and desert: Scott Turow who faithfully adds in his legal insights, Daniel Hoffman the poet who is helping to lead the charge in Congress to allow authors to exclude donated papers from tax levies, and yours truly. The other board members were face-to-face in the New York … [Read more...] about Free Flow of Information Act Passes the House: The Scribes in the USA Have A Fine Horse in That Race
This Just In!!
From the investigative staff at The Garlic: Things Overheard While The Nobel Peace Prize Committee Reviewed Rush Limbaugh's Nomination … [Read more...] about This Just In!!
NASCAR Cooties
Mike Lester, The Rome News-Tribune … [Read more...] about NASCAR Cooties