Iran's former President and controversial cleric bathed in the glow of democratic sunshine/traditions of Harvard where the audience listened to his remarks with extreme politness. Thus the university teachers and students gave yet another shining example of Harvard's tradition of allowing a person the freedom to express his opinion, howsoever different this may be to their … [Read more...] about Iran’s Khatami and Harvard’s Democratic Tradition

A Marine Colonel declares that the Anbar Province is a lost cause for America. Should we be asking that question about Iraq in general? … [Read more...] about The Question That Dare Not Be Asked

A 2002 Al Gore speech reprinted. It's prophetic. Meanwhile, Spencer Ackerman reflects on moderate-left Bush-hatred: By using September 11 to aggregate power for himself, and to make his opponents--you, me, and every other liberal who needed to feel like we could trust our leaders after we were attacked--feel disloyal to their country, he prevented us from healing. Discuss. … [Read more...] about The Classics

Iraq has moved a step closer to breaking up as Americans mark the anniversary of 9/11 and even Cheney seems less self confident about the subterfuge used to propel the Iraq war. A break up would seal the failure of the Bush administration’s interventions and policies in Iraq. In coming days, Shiite parliamentarians sponsored by the powerful Supreme Council for Islamic … [Read more...] about Iraq’s Shiites want more

Over at The Reaction, co-blogger Grace posts on a fascinating critique of America's war on terror. October's issue of Vogue Italia features photographer Steven Meisel's editorial, "State of Emergency," which takes aim at some of the Bush administration's post-9/11 security measures. In the accompanying photo spread, models are depicted being dragged from their cars with guns … [Read more...] about Not just skin deep: Vogue Italia examines Bush’s “State of Emergency” on terrorism

Recommendation: Head on over to the blog run by The Heretik, who diagnoses President Bush with "a bad case of OCD": Obsessive Caliphate Disorder. What does that mean? Let's just say Bush sees pan-Arabic "pandemonium" where there isn't any. He sees "dominoes about to fall". The Heretik sums up the problem: "Bush finds himself in a strange place. He won’t speak with the … [Read more...] about Disorder in the White House

Since it is rather lengthy, my "Post number 1970" will not be cross-posted here at The Moderate Voice as many of my recent writings have been. If you are interested in my take on the fifth anniversary of the murders committed on September 11, 2001, you are welcome to visit my weblog, Random Fate. … [Read more...] about A contrarian look at the legacy of September 11, 2001

… [Read more...] about REMEMBER

A troubling bit of info from Andrew Sullivan. We don't normally run a post from another blog in full but we will here:Next week, I'm informed via troubled White House sources, will see the full unveiling of Karl Rove's fall election strategy. He's intending to line up 9/11 families to accuse McCain, Warner and Graham of delaying justice for the perpetrators of that atrocity, … [Read more...] about Sullivan: Rove Plans Attack On REPUBLICANS Who Are Opposing White House

My own posts will be limited until at least Friday afternoon. The undisclosed location from which I'm writing has horrible dial-up, but there ARE some Starbucks' nearby. So I will post but not on as regular a basis. Please keep checking back to see what our always-independent-minded cobloggers have to say throughout the day. … [Read more...] about TMV’s Posts Limited This Week

Choices. In commemoration of the events on September 11, 2001, on ABC the network has chosen to show a fictionalized version of the events leading to September 11, 2001, a narrative that was allowed to be previewed almost solely by advocates of the right-wing (and mainly Republican cheerleaders), approximately two months before the next election. In commemoration of the … [Read more...] about Our choices reveal more than we may think

Amid the mud slinging and fear mongering of America’s current democratic process, it is worth stepping back a little to survey the political arena since 9/11 with cooler heads. George Bush has much to answer for but is not as thoughtless as numerous Americans make him out to be. In fact, many seem more blinkered than Bush and confused about what it means to be an American … [Read more...] about Democracy and the post 9/11 world

What happens when you place a religious-right conservative in a Hawaii town where all the school prayers are Buddhist and Shinto? You get new found respect for minority opposition to school prayer. … [Read more...] about Revelation

First they let the Taliban lay claim to part of their country and now an insane rape law that is so incredibly disgusting you seriously won't believe it. From Ali Eteraz comes this:The women’s protection bill of Pakistan — which will dramatically alter the rape laws of Pakistan — has a chance of being passed this coming Monday. The bill is an attempt to reform the … [Read more...] about Pakistan Is Going Down The Tubes…

The reviews keep rolling in for "The Path To 911" and, at this point, perhaps the most favorable ones will come on Monday on Rush Limbaugh's and Sean Hannity's shows. Certainly not from some of the nation's leading critics. We've highlighted some of them here — but the one from the Washington Post's Tom Shales nails the reason why so many people are objecting to it: he … [Read more...] about Tom Shales: “The Path To 911” Is As Bad As Its Advance Publicity

From the indispensible site Watching America, there's this translation of a piece from Germany's Die Welt written by Richard Herzinger:Once again Iraq is haunted by a wave of terror, which on Thursday [Aug. 31] alone took the lives of dozens of people. The focus of the violence is again the capitol city of Baghdad, where at least 43 people were killed and approximately 160 … [Read more...] about Some People Want America To Stay In Iraq

We previously gave you links and quotes from two reviews for The Road To 911 — one from the Chicago Sun Times which didn't like it, the other from the New York Times which didn't find it as bad or polarizing as some advance reports do. But the LA Times, in a television review by Samantha Bonar, suggests it is every bit as politically loaded as the controversy that swirls … [Read more...] about Television Review: ABC’s “The Road To 911”

Can you pick up in this scene from ABC's "Shindig" where The Rolling Stones couldn't get no satisfaction because the censors crudely obliterated some words? Hint: it comes about 2:53 into the song: PS: Is that guy who's singing Mick Jagger's great grandson? … [Read more...] about The Rolling Stones Censored In 1965

Minnesota Law Professor Jim Chen has created a constitutional scavenger hunt to celebrate Constitution Day. To participate, go here and follow the links. … [Read more...] about So You Think You Know The Constitution?

You Tube has posted the European trailer for ABC's controversial "The Path To 911" so you can view it yourself and draw your own conclusions about it: … [Read more...] about European Trailer To ABC’s “The Path To 911”