From the It's-Dangerous-To-Believe-Everything-You-Hear (or read) Department:NEW BEDFORD — The UMass Dartmouth student who claimed to have been visited by Homeland Security agents over his request for "The Little Red Book" by Mao Zedong has admitted to making up the entire story. The 22-year-old student tearfully admitted he made the story up to his history professor, Dr. … [Read more...] about Hoax Blaming Homeland Security Federal Agents Is Exposed

Yet more from the New York Times on NSA surveillance — and this latest chapter suggests that far more than a few wiretaps were done without warrants:The National Security Agency has traced and analyzed large volumes of telephone and Internet communications flowing into and out of the United States as part of the eavesdropping program that President Bush approved after the … [Read more...] about NSA Eavesdropping Much Bigger Than White House Admitted

...seems to often exclude the pitfalls... … [Read more...] about The Talk About Wiretaps And Impeachment

...so here's one Airing Of Grievances... … [Read more...] about It’s Also Festivus

....over schools? … [Read more...] about A Miscalculation By The Democrats

It doesn't sound right and readers of the Raleigh News & Observer didn't think it looked right... … [Read more...] about “I Saw An Orangutan Kissing Santa Claus…”

Some people need to get with the program. … [Read more...] about The War On Christmas Part XXLVII

This is a holiday weekend (duh) but nonetheless we will be offering regular postings throughout the weekend, some of them perhaps a bit more personal than usual. Today's posts will begin a bit later than usual due to some complications last night that required TMV's time away from his keyboard. New posts will be on this site throughout the day. This was supposed to go on at 9 … [Read more...] about Late Start On Today’s Postings

I love my iPod too, but I can set priorities. I can't tell you how much I love that Ghetto-fabulous picture of the VP, by the way. … [Read more...] about Cheney Gets Down

We had a reference to it in our Around The 'Sphere below, but it's just such an achievement in a political turnabout, such a quick dumping of previous allies after a finger held aloft in the wind detected a different direction that he beat out Majority Leader Bill Frist. And so: The Moderate Voice awards its highly coveted Plastic Wrap Political Transparency Of The Year Award … [Read more...] about Sen. Rick Santorum Wins Plastic Wrap Political Transparency Of The Year Award 2005

The American Family Association and I clearly have different interpretations of what "one simple question" entails. Oy. Vey. … [Read more...] about Can I Hear An “Oy”

Former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle says Congress specifically declined giving President George W. Bush the power to do warrantless wiretaps in the immediate aftermath of 911 — thus raising the level of an already hot controversy up a big notch or two:In the face of mounting questions about news stories saying that President Bush approved a program to wiretap … [Read more...] about Daschle Says Congress Specifically Didn’t Grant Bush Warrantless Spy Powers (UPDATED)

NPR Morning Edition, December 23, 2005· The life of David Sedaris took an unexpected, and not entirely unwelcome, turn when his "Santaland Diaries" were first broadcast on Morning Edition in 1992. Sedaris recounted his experiences playing Crumpet the elf at Macy's in New York during the holidays. Almost overnight, he went from obscurity to sought-after talent.... You can read … [Read more...] about NPR: Sedaris & Crumpet the Elf

...John Cole to a lot of folks. … [Read more...] about Special Xmas Greetings From

Just think about how it'd be if you had a relative who had a truly hated name and how you'd cope with it? Here's one way to get your message out:Osama bin Laden's niece, in an interview with GQ magazine in which she appears scantily clad, says she has nothing in common with the al-Qaida leader and simply wants acceptance by Americans Everyone relates me to that man, and I have … [Read more...] about Osama’s Niece In Scantily Clad Photo Shoot

Apparently some Ohio politicians have taken sides in the culture wars. Ohio News Now: Governor Taft has signed a bill into law creating a "One Nation Under God" license plate. The plate will feature the American flag and the motto from the pledge of allegiance. The bill was sponsored by Senator Robert Spada, a suburban Cleveland Republican. Motorists would have to pay … [Read more...] about Ohio to Have “One Nation Under God” License Plate

So how has the TV/radio talk show culture changed families in the United States and the way family conversations are conducted? A lot, concludes actor-blogger Wil Wheaton in a provocative essay in Salon which you can read here. (You have to watch a brief ad to get to the essay but it's WELL worth it). In case you were on Venus the past 10 years, Wheaton the talented actor … [Read more...] about “The Real War On Christmas”

The Blogometer looks at 2005 from the standpoint of Blogtopia:If 2004 was the year that blogs broke into the mainstream, 2005 saw an acceleration of this trend -- even without a presidential election to focus on. Unlike 12 months ago, the word "blog" itself is almost a household name. Those annoying wire stories that reiterate the fact that "blog is short for web-log" are … [Read more...] about This Was The Year That Was (Or Was It?)

Our occasional linkfest from all over Blogtopia (thanks SKIPPY for the word!). Links represent VARYING viewpoints that don't necessarily represent the opinion of The Moderate Voice. We Often Say Senator Bill Frist Has His Finger Up To Test The Political Wind but now he has been bested by a Guinness Book Of Records rival: Senator Rick Santorum. Have you ever seen anything quite … [Read more...] about Around The ‘Sphere

Lighting menorahs in front of the Iranian embassy this Channukah? Interesting idea. I like the symbolism. (link: Oxblog) … [Read more...] about Intriguing