Meanwhile, it seems that leading French media outlets may be censoring their own coverage of the riots in an attempt to ward off a rightward shift in French politics. And there are reports that France may receive as much as a billion Euros from the European Union for job development and social cohesion. Both, in my view, are bad ideas. The rioting has been caused in part by … [Read more...] about Censoring the riots, funding the French

...like this big one. … [Read more...] about There ARE Victories In The War On Terror

Centrist blogger Dave Schuler of The Glittering Eye has taken a look at the issue, charges and countercharges and given it a lot of thought. CLICK HERE for a MUST READ POST. We were going to pick some key quotes, but it'd take it out of context. Read it yourself. And give us your thoughts in comments. … [Read more...] about Opposing The War And Patriotism

The latest news from France, via The Washington Post: Dozens of youths threw trash cans at police and attacked sidewalk shops in a main square of Lyon on Saturday night in the first clash between rioters and police in a city center after more than two weeks of violence in France, according to news reports. Youths stormed through the historic Place Bellecour in Lyon, France's … [Read more...] about Rioting in Lyon, a crackdown in Paris

A close friend of yours truly who is an entertainer — in fact, the person who convinced me to do a weblog — believes the U.S. is in for much tougher and troublesome economic times ahead. And he points to several things: TRUCKS SEEMINGLY GONE ON SOME MAJOR ROUTES: He drives long distances constantly to musical gigs, often in a vintage car. He will often drive this … [Read more...] about A Harbinger Of Tougher Economic Times Ahead?

Yet ANOTHER poll, this time from Newsweek, showing President George W. Bush setting another record for his popularity — southward, that is:In the wake of the bombings in Jordan by suspected followers of Iraq’s Al Qaeda chief Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the indictment of top White House aide I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby and the withdrawal of Harriet Miers’s nomination to the … [Read more...] about New Poll: Bush Continues His Steady Slide

What's the definition of "dumb?" It's THIS:ALISO VIEJO, Calif. (AP) - Traffic is so bad along the eastern rim of Los Angeles' suburban ring that regional planners are considering the once unthinkable - an 11-mile tunnel through a mountain range in earthquake country. Critics question the logic of building a multibillion-dollar project in a region so prone to earthquakes that … [Read more...] about California Earthquake Region May Get A Tunnel (?!)

TMV's posts will be fewer today due to logistics: he will spend much of his day traveling from Montana back to his home base of San Diego, CA. But this site's talented and always independent co-bloggers will likely offer some thoughts throughout the day. So stay tuned...and keep checking back! … [Read more...] about TMV’s Own Posts Will Be Lighter Today

...and in with the teens... … [Read more...] about Out With The Old Fogey Politicians

King Abdullah of Jordan, who is not at all like Syria's Bashar Assad, plans to crack down not only on terrorists but also on those who support them. … [Read more...] about King Abdullah: No More Mr. Nice Guy

Could be...YOU DECIDE. … [Read more...] about Was CNN’s Axed Aaron Brown A Psychic?

How did Romney become governor of Massachusetts? Was it just that he seemed to be more moderate than he really is? Or was it his all-American good looks and charisma? I went to college there back in the early-'90s. Sure, there were conservatives like William Weld around, but Romney in Massachusetts is like, say, Ted Kennedy in Alabama (or at least Hillary Clinton in … [Read more...] about Mitt Romney and the anti-gay movement

Yesterday, Joe wrote an excellent response to David Ignatius's column in the Post on the "rise of the center". I recommend it highly. I'm not always sure where I position myself politically — these days I seem to be on the center-left, likely pushed there by Republican dominance. If you're interested, I have a somewhat different take whether or not there is currently a … [Read more...] about Liberalism and centrism in American politics

Slate's John Dickerson writes: The news from Iraq is largely bad. The public is smart enough to distrust the nightly news producers. They're also smart enough to know when they're not getting straight talk. A little candor might break through that skepticism. Bush and (Senator John) McCain are both desperate to convince Americans that the war is still worth fighting and that … [Read more...] about Quote Of The Day: On Bush’s Speech And His Task In Turning Public Opinion

Today's New York Times has an op-ed by Tenzin Gyatso, who happens to be the 14th Dalai Lama: SCIENCE has always fascinated me. As a child in Tibet, I was keenly curious about how things worked. When I got a toy I would play with it a bit, then take it apart to see how it was put together. As I became older, I applied the same scrutiny to a movie projector and an antique … [Read more...] about The Dalai Lama on “Our Faith in Science”

The Washington Post has a piece that raises a point that has become all-too familiar these days: it contends President George W. Bush's speech contained a fundamental inaccuracy that some are sure to dismiss as a slight oversight and others will insist represents falsification. You can read about the President's speech basically saying war critics are undercutting the war … [Read more...] about Washington Post Says Bush Speech Not Quite Accurate

If you're a political junkie, here's an important fact to file away; according to the New York Times, under Howard Dean the Democrats are seriously behind the Republicans in the quest to raise vital campaign funds:The Democratic National Committee under Howard Dean is losing the fundraising race against Republicans by nearly 2 to 1, a slow start that is stirring concern among … [Read more...] about Dean Not Raising Enough $$ For Democrats

This bill is something everyone should be able to agree on. … [Read more...] about Pro-Life and Pro-Choice Together

Best one-liner nominee: "Personally, I view the continued health of Pat Robertson to be evidence there is no God." --John Cole, responding to Rev. Robertson's claims that Dover voters have "voted God out of [their] city." … [Read more...] about Rib Cracker

From The Washington Post: Lawyers for Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) tried unsuccessfully in late September to head off felony criminal indictments against the then-majority leader on charges of violating Texas campaign law by signaling that DeLay might plead guilty to a misdemeanor, according to four sources familiar with the events. The lawyers' principal aim was to try to preserve … [Read more...] about Tom DeLay’s lost plea