Our first reaction was: oh, so he wants to tax members of Congress:Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa is hoping to stamp out the sex trade by taxing pimps and prostitutes, then jailing them when they don't pay.But then we realized we were wrong when we read more: The Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday morning approved a bill sponsored by committee chairman Sen. Charles … [Read more...] about Senator Proposes A Special Tax

For people of all — or no — parties. Unity08 has come up with this "Declaration of Independence From Politics Without Purpose" for people sick of partisanship. Read it and if you like it, sign it. You do NOT have to be ready to vote for a third party to sign it (or to agree with much of what Unity08 espouses). … [Read more...] about A Declaration Of Independence For People Sick Of Partisanship

Winston Groom's new book Patriotic Fire (about the Battle of New Orleans) is the subject of my latest book review, which I've posted here at my brand-new literary-related blog, PhiloBiblos. … [Read more...] about Book Review: “Patriotic Fire”

From an article at MSNBC.com on the elimination of the taxes on telephone calls: Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who won approval of the ban in the Senate Finance Committee, said he didn't want the Internet to fall victim to taxes like the telephone tax enacted for the Spanish-American War. "That war ended two centuries ago, and Congress is just now getting around to getting rid of … [Read more...] about Historically challenged

What happens to the jury pool when only "death-qualified" jurors are allowed to serve in capital cases? … [Read more...] about Has The Jury Reached Its Verdict?

James "It Will Destroy The Earth" Dobson goes off the rails again. … [Read more...] about Gay Marriage…More Threatening Than Slavery

MSNBC: SIDNEY, N.Y. - Authorities Wednesday ordered the mandatory evacuation of 150,000 to 200,000 people from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and surrounding areas along the Susquehanna River, a Luzerne County official said. Luzerne County public information officer Kathy Bozinski said residents from 10 communities in Wyoming Valley were ordered shortly after midday to leave … [Read more...] about FLOOD ALERT in Pennsylvania

For decades, some holy cities and tourist destinations in India have attracted foreigners in view of the open use of cannabis/marijuana/hashish, especially in the post-Beatles days. Can it be clubbed with cocaine and heroin in terms of its after-effects? The debate goes on...So those interested can find out here. Cannabis is believed to have been used in India as early as … [Read more...] about Cannabis or Hashish: A Healer Or A Killer?

Not too long ago, I wrote about what I consider to be the shame of America's free press, that is, the mainstream news media's gullibility with respect to the White House's preferred spin and their refusal, or inability, to do their jobs properly: Forget the liberal press. The accurate adjective is gullible. It wants a story, any story, preferably a new story. Apparently, the … [Read more...] about The attack on America’s free press

AP via MSNBC: WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Wednesday threw out part of a Texas congressional map engineered by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, saying some of the new boundaries failed to protect minority voting rights.... … [Read more...] about SCOTUS Partially Invalidates Texas Redistricting

From now on it's no more Mr. Nice Guy:Russian President Vladimir Putin told his country's security services to find and kill the people responsible for the deaths of four Russian diplomats in Iraq. Putin's order will be posted on the presidential Web site later today, an official in the Kremlin's press service said by telephone in Moscow, declining to be named.You can't get … [Read more...] about Terrorists May Regret Crossing Putin

Sent to us:Forty-three percent of all people polled in the U.S. say that immigration a serious problem. The other 57percent said, "No hablo inglÈs" … [Read more...] about Immigration Factoid From A Reader

Senator Specter hauled an administration official (this time it was Michelle E. Boardman, deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel) before the Judiciary Committee yesterday to sit and take a lambasting for the Administration's use of "signing statements" as an m.o. to get around provisions of the law they just don't like (I've … [Read more...] about Judiciary Committee Tackles Signing Statements

What is common between Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, the Nizam (a former Prince) and a former Miss Turkey and pearls? Their association with the world's happening hi-tech city of Hyderabad, in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh (the fifth largest state in the country). After New Delhi, Hyderabad is the only city in India to attract two US Presidents. About their … [Read more...] about Of George Bush, Bill Clinton, Former Miss Turkey and the Nizam of Hyderabad

Is he brilliant, far-out, courageous, weird or an independent thinker (or a combination of any or all of these?). Here's a starting point for debate. … [Read more...] about Deconstructing Democratic Senator Russ Feingold

Will he be saying bye-bye? … [Read more...] about Is It Hype Or Not?

This just in from investigative reporter Andy Borowitz:U.S. THREATENS TO LAUNCH ANN COULTER TOWARDS NORTH KOREA Rabid Pundit Could Destroy Entire Korean Peninsula, U.N. Warns In an act of retaliation for North Korean president Kim Jong-Il’s plan to test a long-range missile that could reach California, the United States today threatened to launch conservative pundit Ann … [Read more...] about THIS JUST IN! U.S.A.’s New Weapon Against North Korea

TMV won't be totally out of pocket through Friday — but almost. For instance, this is written at 11 pm after JUST getting in from a day of traffic james in Orange County and two family show appearances. Tomorrow and Thursday will have the exact same schedule — and then TMV heads to the East Coast to spend some time with The Moderate Parents who are in their … [Read more...] about TMV’s Own Posts Will Be VERY Limited For A Few Days

The Indo-US nuclear deal got off to a roaring start in the US Congress on Tuesday. The House International Relations Committee, considered a tough cookie, endorsed the deal by an overwhelming 37-5 margin, says The Times of India. In a three-hour long debate preceding the vote, the committee consistently turned down killer amendments proposed by the opponents of the deal, many … [Read more...] about India-US Nuclear Deal: A Big Win

Without checking the article, decide for yourself whether the following book titles are real or satire: Thus far, the new imprint has only one writer in its stable: Katharine DeBrecht, the pen name of a mother of three whose authorial debut, Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed!, generated major buzz - and sold some 30,000 copies - after receiving an on-air plug from Rush … [Read more...] about Help Mom!