I think many of you are aware that Israel’s second national this year has ended in a total stalemate. While Likud and the Blue and White party split the national vote, neither party on their own can bring in enough of the smaller parties to reach a majority of 61 seats in the Knesset. There was a big push for Likud and Blue and White to form a coalition government. Between the … [Read more...] about Israel is still in the Twilight zone
Murdering the Rule of Law
December 16: Birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven, of Arthur C. Clarke and Philip K. Dick. We begin with William Webster, former US Federal Judge and FBI Director under Carter and Reagan: I Headed the F.B.I. and C.I.A. There's a Dire Threat to the Country I Love. William Webster / New York Times ... The country can ill afford to have a chief law enforcement officer dispute … [Read more...] about Murdering the Rule of Law
Senate GOP Making Same Mistake As House Democrats
I was previously critical of the way House Democrats handled the impeachment process because I felt they gave ammunition to the GOP by seeming to be high handed about things. It seemed to me (and still does) that since they know they have the votes they could provide a very open process that would give the GOP no room to claim bias or unfairness. For example when the … [Read more...] about Senate GOP Making Same Mistake As House Democrats
“Impeach!” They Write
In a damning, nearly 1,600-word editorial, simply yet powerfully titled “Impeach,” the New York Times Editorial Board lays out the case for the impeachment of Donald J. Trump for abusing the power of his office “by strong-arming Ukraine, a vulnerable ally, holding up hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid until it agreed to help him influence the 2020 election by … [Read more...] about “Impeach!” They Write
In impeachment spotlight, dueling views of professionalism appear
To some, White House aide Jennifer Williams and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman are impartial truth-tellers; to others, they are power-hungry bureaucrats. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik Michael J. Brown, Rochester Institute of Technology Impeachment hearings have thrust a handful of public servants into the spotlight, where competing ideas about government … [Read more...] about In impeachment spotlight, dueling views of professionalism appear
PUTIN AND TRUMP (Cartoon)
Beware of Misleading Records
What is wrong with the following headline? Answer: It doesn't state which record the UN is referring to. So, which record is it? Answer: the instrumental temperature record, a.k.a. the record made with the use of thermometers. From Nature Communications: "The geological record and simulations of past climate provide scientists with the opportunity to … [Read more...] about Beware of Misleading Records
A Review of Mrs. Doubtfire at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre
Loud, long, sustained, relentless laughter might best describe The 5th Avenue Theatre’s opening night of the new Broadway bound musical Mrs. Doubtfire. Last night’s show clearly demonstrated that this Seattle production is simply on an on-ramp to what appears to be a very successful Broadway run, or at least future Tony nominations. I know I might be putting the cart before the … [Read more...] about A Review of Mrs. Doubtfire at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre
In Memoriam: Shaun Mullen, Vietnam embedded Reporter, Writer for The Moderate Voice
[Click on the image to make it larger] Dear Friends, I just now received a message here in the middle of the night at 2:20 am, that our dear Shaun Mullen, writer extraordinaire, has walked onward suddenly-- yesterday. I spoke with Shaun often and as recently as last week and he was in fine fettle, filled with dreams and ideas and working away. And yet... we who are … [Read more...] about In Memoriam: Shaun Mullen, Vietnam embedded Reporter, Writer for The Moderate Voice
SCOTUS sells US out
Pete Williams / NBC News: Supreme Court agrees to consider whether Trump's tax records should be released — By granting review of these cases now, the justices made it possible for them to be heard during the current court term. — WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to hear President Donald Trump's appeal … The Supreme Court waited a day so as not to plop … [Read more...] about SCOTUS sells US out
Trump’s Impeachment Hearings: An Immigrant ‘Strikes the Last Word’
On Thursday the House Judiciary Committee reconvened to approve or reject two Articles of Impeachment against the 45th president of the United States, charging Donald John Trump, the – according to Republicans -- “noble anti-corruption fighter” with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The debate went far into the night, with Republicans introducing amendments galore … [Read more...] about Trump’s Impeachment Hearings: An Immigrant ‘Strikes the Last Word’
Super Bowl Rings
One Sunday evening during the mid 1990s, I attended a service taking place at my little church. A few minutes before the service started, I slipped into a pew that was second from the front. In the pew in front of me sat a well-dressed visitor who was to be that night's guest speaker. The visitor stretched his arms across his pew, which allowed me to see a ring that he was … [Read more...] about Super Bowl Rings
Johnson’s UK triumph: is the left doomed in the U.S. in 2020 too?
Is Boris Johnson's major victory in the UK and the-to-many shocking big defeat of UK's left a harbinger of what will happen in the United States in 2020? In recent months, I've gotten a sinking feeling about what I read and hear about many assuming that Donald Trump's shattering of norms, testing and in some cases ignoring laws, defiance of Congress' role and legitimacy as … [Read more...] about Johnson’s UK triumph: is the left doomed in the U.S. in 2020 too?
Democrats Should Pay Heed To UK Vote
I'm not sure how many of you are really interested in my UK election posts, but there won't be another election for about 5 years so I may as well get them in now The most surprising thing about the election is how many bedrock Labor seats have switched to the conservatives There are seats that have literally never been represented by a conservative, that have been with … [Read more...] about Democrats Should Pay Heed To UK Vote
Banana Art or ‘One Banana, Two Banana…’
Disclaimer: The writer is neither an art connoisseur nor a regular reader of Vogue. About a week ago, Art Basel Miami Beach displayed a work of art that had people admiring it, ridiculing it, laughing at it and, eventually, eating it. It was the duct-taped-to-the-wall-ripe-banana production by Italian artist and “absurdist” Maurizio Cattelan, the same artist who in … [Read more...] about Banana Art or ‘One Banana, Two Banana…’
Boris triumphs but Britain and EU are still at loggerheads
Embed from Getty Images Boris Johnson’s huge win as predicted by exit polls in the historic British elections today could change Europe as much as the United Kingdom, especially if the Scottish nationalists who also won massively demand independence from Britain after Brexit. Johnson, who has regularly been the butt of mocking jokes in Britain and Europe, has dealt a … [Read more...] about Boris triumphs but Britain and EU are still at loggerheads
WILL IMPEACHMENT HURT TRUMP IN 2020? HERE’S THE CASE FOR OPTIMISM.
Most Americans, exhausted by Trump’s demagogic lying and relentless pillaging of the values we hold dear, are understandably skeptical that impeachment will cleanse the stench and quash the nightmare. Indeed, that day of reckoning won’t come any time soon. His fact-averse authoritarian enablers in the Republican Senate will likely rig his escape from accountability, and he’ll … [Read more...] about WILL IMPEACHMENT HURT TRUMP IN 2020? HERE’S THE CASE FOR OPTIMISM.
Articles of Mitchment
David Donar. All rights reserved. Copyright Donar, Political Graffiti … [Read more...] about Articles of Mitchment
Trump’s ambivalence brings NATO to a momentous turning point
NATO, America’s 29-nation military alliance, reached a turning point on the day that distinguished legal experts at congressional hearings hammered nails into President Donald Trump’s impeachment process. Trump left the London summit of NATO leaders early to underscore annoyance because some allies like Emmanuel Macron of France and Justin Trudeau of Canada were caught on … [Read more...] about Trump’s ambivalence brings NATO to a momentous turning point
USA TODAY Comes Out For Impeachment
There it is, just hot off the pixel presses: USA TODAY's Editorial Board: Impeach President Trump The president's Ukraine shakedown and stonewalling are too serious for the House to ignore: Our view — “Put your own narrow interests ahead of the nation's, flout the law, violate the trust given to you by the American people and recklessly disregard the oath of office, and … [Read more...] about USA TODAY Comes Out For Impeachment