The war in Lebanon has not ended. Every day, some of the million bomblets which were fired by Israeli artillery during the last three days of the conflict kill four people in southern Lebanon and wound many more, reports The Indepedent. "The casualty figures will rise sharply in the next month as villagers begin the harvest, picking olives from trees whose leaves and branches … [Read more...] about Lebanon : Ruthless Killers Are Still There

But sometimes it's not. … [Read more...] about Rejection Is Always Hard

A report by Adam Nagourney in the NYT over the weekend stated the obvious. Democrats are targeting Bush as the November midterms approach: From Rhode Island to New Mexico, from Connecticut to Tennessee, President Bush is emerging as the marquee name in this fall’s Congressional elections — courtesy not of his Republican Party but of the Democrats. A review of dozens of … [Read more...] about Target: Bush

And he is a real leftist, as Andrew Sullivan points out here (but why didn't Ronald Reagan ever discover that?). … [Read more...] about Another Opponent Of Torture Comes Foward

So wait... what kind of compromise could possibly be the result of this? How can there be a compromise regarding the Geneva Convention? There is no freaking compromise possible: treat prisoners, no matter what kind of disgusting creatures they are, according to 'natural law' c.q. 'human rights'. There are only two options: treating prisoners in a humane manner, or not. A … [Read more...] about Compromise In The Making On ‘Interrogation Techniques’

Caption: Demonstrators in the Iraqi city of Basra burn a pope effigy. Pope Benedict apologizing for quoting a medieval quotation on Islam and violence drew mixed reactions — and now an Al Qaeda group expressing outrage has vowed to conduct a holy war:An Iraqi militant group led by al Qaeda vowed a war against the "worshipers of the cross" in response to a recent speech … [Read more...] about Pope’s Apology Draws Mixed Responses And Al Qaeda Threat (UPDATED)

THIS JUST IN from investigative reporter Andy Borowitz:Fox News Offers Pope His Own Show 'The Pope Benedict XVI Factor' to Debut Next Week In what many in religious and broadcasting circles are calling an unprecedented development, the Fox News Channel today announced that it had offered Pope Benedict XVI his own show as part of their weekly primetime lineup. The program, … [Read more...] about This Just In!

The Moderate Voice occasionally runs Guest Voice posts by readers who don't have a weblog or have one and have something special to say here. Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the opinion of TMV or its co-bloggers — but they do add to our free-wheeling debate. This is by reader Matt Pearl, a college student in Georgia. A Fight for Ideals By Matt Pearl The … [Read more...] about Guest Voice: A Fight For Ideals

Once again The Talking Dog is offering an original blog interview on an aspect of the war against terror and the controversy of detainees. We've run links to many of the interviews, because the quality of the questions are so good (TTD is an attorney). TTD's interviews can be quite controversial...and he doesn't disappoint this time. Once again, we don't want to quote from a … [Read more...] about Original Blog Interview: TD Blog Interviews Dr. Steven Miles

By Cox & Forkum: … [Read more...] about Critical Mass

Dean Barnett writing on Hugh Hewitt's highly popular conservative blog weighs in on the Meet The Press debate between Virginia Senatorial candidates GOPer George Allen (incumbent) and Democrat Jim Webb (challenger) and basically says: Don't ask how it went.I just finished watching the George Allen – Jim Webb debate on “Meet the Press.â€? For conservatives wishing for Allen … [Read more...] about The George Allen-Jim Webb “Meet The Press Debate” Wasn’t A Draw (CORRECTED AND UPDATED)

Here's an experimental ad from the folks who are working to draft John McCain for President in 2008: … [Read more...] about Gearing Up To Try And “Draft” John McCain

Pope Benedict XVI has apologised in person for causing offence to Muslims in a speech in Bavaria last week. He said the medieval text which he quoted did not express in any way his personal opinion, adding the speech was an invitation to respectful dialogue. The Pope has been under intense scrutiny amid angry reactions from throughout the Muslim world. Read on... … [Read more...] about Pope Says ‘I Am Sorry’

TMV is off to LA this morning...and you know what THAT means (see above). But our cobloggers will likely have some things to say. In fact, they already HAVE: there are some new, provocative posts underneath...so scroll down. … [Read more...] about TMV Is Doing THIS Today

While the USA and Iran continue their war of words on this planet earth, here is an Iranian-born American citizen ready to touch the skies in a spacecraft on Monday. On September 18, Ansari and two astronauts are scheduled to blast off in a Russian Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Their space flight is scheduled to begin at 8:09 a.m. Moscow … [Read more...] about Anousheh Ansari : Iran to USA…and now Outer Space

(Lebanon Becharri Cathedral) Lebanon was again in the limelight only because of Israeli attack. Bloggers and others who wrote a great deal then are now not even concerned as to what is going on in Lebanon. Why is Lebanon important? This and other thoughts were sent to me by a friend in New York. He shares some interesting information too. 1. Lebanon has 18 religious … [Read more...] about Lebanon : A Land Of Great Legends and History

"It is the biggest contributor to climate change. Now chemists are hoping to convert carbon dioxide into a useful fuel, with a little help from the sun. If they succeed, it will be possible to recycle the greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels. The work could also lead to a way for future Mars missions to generate fuel for their return journey from carbon dioxide in … [Read more...] about Climate Change : A Way Out Of The Mess?

The growing conservative backlash against President George Bush continues, with the latest broadsides coming from TV's Joe Scarborough (who is a former GOP member of Congress) and Los Angeles Talk show host Doug McIntyre. Both are blunt and underscore the growing outspoken conservative opposition to various aspects of the Bush administration. Scarborough has a blunt piece in … [Read more...] about TV’s Scarborough And Radio’s McIntyre Blast Bush

...even when you shop. … [Read more...] about These Days You’re Being Manipulated

Claudia Mitchell, a former US Marine, who lost an arm in a motorcycle accident, is the first woman to be fitted with a new prosthetic arm controlled by her own nerves, says The Times. "The night before she showed off the left arm at a news conference, she used it to cut a steak — the first she had been able to eat in a conventional way since her accident more than two years … [Read more...] about Former US Marine And Bionic Arm