At first glance, you'd figure this was a news story that just had to come out of the United States where actions by courts, juries, parole boards and prisons raise so many eyebrows that the court beat is one of the best on any newspaper. But this one involves the freeing of one of Canada's most notorious killers:One of Canada's most notorious female criminals says she's going … [Read more...] about Canada’s Notorious Sex Killer Homolka Walks Free

French President was at dinner and he was on a roll -- and not the kind you eat. Jacques Chirac, not realizing his comments were recorded, made stand-up style comments unusually blunt for a French President, even one governing in a time of accentuated Anglo-French tensions: Anglo-French tensions heightened last night after Jacques Chirac delivered a series of insults to … [Read more...] about France’s Chicac Insults The British

Ahhh, it's Fourth of July. And your irresponsibly lazy. That is, more irresponsibly lazy than usual... What better, more traditional American way to spend a 4th of July than sitting in front of the computer and news surfing (George Washington did that, you know). And you love to look at newspaper front pages, don't you. The big flaw of the internet is that you can't usually … [Read more...] about Reading Newspaper Front Pages

School boards across the country are cracking down on teachers showing their cracks: Teachers are expected to bear long days, challenging students and demanding parents. Now, apparently, some teachers are baring too much of themselves. So school boards and superintendents increasingly are pursuing dress codes for teachers. At issue is the same kind of questionable attire most … [Read more...] about Dress Codes For Teachers Catching On

See, Donald Rumsfeld, Jiminy Cricket was right: when you wish upon a star your dreams do come true:American troops on the Syrian border are enjoying a battle they have long waited to see - a clash between foreign al-Qa'eda fighters and Iraqi insurgents. Tribal leaders in Husaybah are attacking followers of Abu Musab Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born terrorist who established the … [Read more...] about Iraqi Insurgents Battle Al Qaeda

And so the country takes a brief breath before what promises to be a politically bloody summer with probably two Supreme Court seats up for grabs. The prospect: polarization of the left and the right and a testing of the center as never before. A Washington Post piece underlines the fragility of the agreement that nixed the "nuclear option" on removing filibusters on judicial … [Read more...] about Moment Of Truth In The Senate — For Moderates

On this Fourth of July, take a moment to celebrate one of America's most cherished traditions: political humor. Here are some of our favorite jokes from the past four weeks made by late night comedians. When we run these we invariably get angry comments from some folks because someone dared make a joke about "their" favorite official or political party. Lighten up: it's an … [Read more...] about Celebrate America’s Tradition Of Political Humor

It's the Fourth of July. Independence Day. A day when Americans aren't just Democrats, Republicans, independents, liberals, conservatives or centrists. They're above all AMERICANS. As it always should be — and IS. … [Read more...] about Happy July 4th 2 U

If you have a small child who snores be forewarned: it could be a sign that he or she will become hyperactive later on. Researchers writing in the journal Sleep report that young kids who snore are more likely to be come hyperative than those who don't. Forbes reports:Now, new research from the University of Michigan suggests the link is even stronger than many … [Read more...] about Snoring Kids May Be More Hyperactive Later In Life

Why is Michael W. McConnell the one Supreme Court nominee everyone can agree on? … [Read more...] about There’s Something About Michael

cross-posted from my blog, Basie! Everyone knows that William Rehnquist is Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, making this the "Rehnquist Court" (like the "Warren Court" before it, for instance). But is William Rehnquist the real leader of this iteration of the top court in the nation? The Los Angeles Times David G. Savage explores this question and more. The Rehnquist court … [Read more...] about The Stevens Supreme Court?

What are some of the best political parodies you've seen on the web? I'm not really looking for whole sites--ala ScrappleFace or Wonkette. More like some really good posts that fuse popular culture and political humor. Here are my favorites (warning: not all work-safe): Jerry Springer does philosophy. John Locke--the rap. Political Science pick-up lines, bedtime stories, … [Read more...] about Politics and Parodies

OxBlog's David Adesnik has been watching the first 2 seasons of the Fox action drama "24," and as much as he loves it, thought the writers had a skewed perspective of the real enemies America faces in the 21st century. He got plenty of response, and posted some (including mine) here with his own fleshed-out thoughts. I have longer thoughts here. … [Read more...] about Is “24” conservative, liberal or something else?

Cross-Posted to The Debate Link: A few weeks back, President Bush gave a speech at Montgomery Blair HS in Silver Spring, Maryland. It was rather controversial, since not a single member of the student body--nor anybody from the town of Silver Spring, was allowed to attend. While Bush's restrictive "town meeting" rules are by now old news, this one hit particularly close to … [Read more...] about Just One Question

Hello, boys and girls. Name's David Schraub, currently blogger on The Debate Link, and the latest member of Joe's harem. I'm important enough to blog here, but apparently not quite important enough to have my name spelled right--it's SCHRAUB, not SCHAUB. Oh well, we'll get there. A bit about myself. I'm currently entering my Sophomore year at Carleton College, in Northfield, … [Read more...] about Introducing…Myself

Since the government is cracking down on blogs and all kinds of things, isn't it time for it to look into false advertising in songs? In his song 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover Paul Simon is supposedly singing about ways to dump her/him/it. But just look at the lyrics HERE. Where do you see 50 ways? Hasn't Simon set himself up for a lawsuit? But, Paul, have no fear. You can find … [Read more...] about Is Singer Paul Simon Guilty Of False Advertising?

The man who was atop of Saudi Arabia's most wanted list, the leader of the Saudi Arabian branch of Al Qaeda, has been killed in a fierce gunfight with security forces there. This is potentially a big story for both Saudi Arabia and for the overall war against terrorism. The AP reports:Security forces killed al-Qaida's leader in Saudi Arabia, who topped the nation's list of … [Read more...] about Top Al Qaeda Chief Killed By Saudi Forces

Over the past few months, when Tom Cruise wasn't busy jumping on sofas on Oprah, getting squirted in the face, or lecturing Matt Lauer about the evils of psychiatry (which Cruise has studied, he reminds us) he has attracted much attention for blasting Brooke Shields. In the course of less than a year, Cruise has gone from being a low-profile, carefully handled … [Read more...] about Brooke Shields Strikes Back

Attention Attorney General Alberto Gonzales: you better hope that George Bush has your back: Within hours after Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's announced retirement from the Supreme Court, members of conservative groups around the country convened in five national conference calls in which, participants said, they shared one big concern: heading off any effort by President Bush … [Read more...] about Conservative Long Knives Are Out For Alberto Gonzales

Now Newsweek is pointing its finger at Bush's political Svengali Karl Rove in the Plame case, in another "now-it-can-be-told" item by Michael Isikoff:Now the story may be about to take another turn. The e-mails surrendered by Time Inc., which are largely between Cooper and his editors, show that one of Cooper's sources was White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove, according … [Read more...] about Newsweek Suggests Rove May Be To Blame In Plame