If it turns out the Republican party loses moderates and centrists this is the kind of over-the-top rhetoric people will look back one day and say was responsible: Federal judges are a more serious threat to America than Al Qaeda and the Sept. 11 terrorists, the Rev. Pat Robertson claimed yesterday. "Over 100 years, I think the gradual erosion of the consensus that's held our … [Read more...] about A Skunk Spraying Inside The GOP Tent

...how will the heirs to Jonathan Swift even be recognized? … [Read more...] about If everything is hyperbole…

An explosion in a hidden weapons cache cut short 28 lives in Afghanistan, a country still undergoing stabilization — and making progress on many fronts. First, here's the bad news from the AP via ABC News: An arms cache hidden by an Afghan warlord exploded in a bunker beneath his home early Monday, killing 28 people, injuring at least 70 and devastating surrounding … [Read more...] about Afghan Munitions Explosion Kills 28 Amid Continued Progress Signs

....especially in this part of the world. … [Read more...] about Getting Married Can Be Pretty Scary….

So what do you think? … [Read more...] about Now THIS Is A Vital Issue

In case you thought various press reports in recent weeks mentioning competitive tensions between Senator John Kerry and Senator Hillary Clinton over the 2008 Democratic nomination were just a bunch of speculative horse-race handicapping, think again. The bottom line is that too many of these little factoids have been emerging — including this one reporting how Kerry was … [Read more...] about Hillary Clinton Versus John Kerry In The Democratic Sweepstakes

Could be... … [Read more...] about Separated At Birth?

Attention hermits, anti-social or lonely people: if you value your health you'll get some people in your life NOW. The reason: a new study concludes that if you're a man and don't have a group of close friends, family or aren't connected with other people it could heighten your risk of heart attack. How could this happen? As Health Talk notes, it has to do with blood … [Read more...] about Lonely Heart Could Risk Heart Attack

Tonight was a milestone in prime-time cartoons on the major networks: "The Simpsons" passed its 350th episode and "Family Guy" returned three years after cancellation because of audience demand. Sadly, Fox misjudged how much penance it should pay "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane and went ahead with his latest project, which I review here. … [Read more...] about Simpsons, Family Guy and a new cartoon bubble

Here's another lesson in not assuming what people in other countries would want, based on our Western notions. As Iraq gets cell networks up and running, the towers need to go somewhere - and Iraqis are glad to be picked by the companies to put them on their houses:1-The phone company would pay the house owner (the host) 500 $ per month for allowing the company to install the … [Read more...] about Is that a tower on your house or are you happy to see me?

Laura Rozen talks about how the Bush administration has softened its stance on the Sudanese government in regards to Darfur, preferring political expediency over human rights concerns. One thing thats left out of the analysis, however, is the impact of oil. China has been cozying up to Bashir's regime for awhile now, primarily because Sudan is teeming with underdeveloped oil … [Read more...] about The Realpolitik of Sudan

The LA Times comes in for criticism regularly in the blogosphere, but a couple recent mistakes on their part deserve closer scrutiny. LA-based Patterico shows Times editors removed (from the Reuters wire story) possibly the most noteworthy development in the shooting of the car in Iraq that killed an Italian agent and the newly free Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena - the … [Read more...] about Los Angeles Times editors are no angels

Cross-posted at Random Fate. GRENOBLE, France - Over a week ago, I wrote here at The Moderate Voice on the television appearance by French President Jacques Chirac to promote a "oui" vote on the EU Constitution. I concluded with the following: So, in the end, even though the polls look like Chirac had no effect on public opinion after his televised discussion of the EU … [Read more...] about Opinion polls in France show a shift on the EU Constitution

The group Free Muslims Against Terrorism is leading a rally in DC on Saturday, May 14:Join us in sending a message to radical Muslims and supporters of terrorism that we reject them and that we will do all we can to defeat them. We also want to send a message of hope to the people of the Muslim world and the Middle East who seek freedom, democracy and who reject radical Islam … [Read more...] about The perfect rally for moderates!

Are the origins of the likely rejection due to effects of the industrial revolution? … [Read more...] about The upcoming vote on the EU Constitution in France

Several American Presidents have learned the "hard way" that it's extremely difficult regaining credibility after it has been lost. And now, it seems, it's time for Great Britain's Tony Blair to learn the same (painful) lesson. You can monitor any number of news reports and newspaper stories on the new controversy raging in England on the eve of elections there and reach … [Read more...] about Tony Blair’s Credibility Problem

Can Palestinian Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas get Hamas to go along with the game plan? Do you want to take bets now? … [Read more...] about Palestinian Leader Talks Tough About Enforcing Cease Fire With Israel

We're guest posting at Dean's World this weekend which means we do most of our posts over there. TMV's highly talented Guest Bloggers also contribute here during the weekend. TMV will do two or three max orginal posts here during the day and (by reader request) will link to this site to the ones he does over there so you can easily access the posts from this site. Our … [Read more...] about At Note To Readers

When people say discrimination causes a lot of "heartache" they may be more medically accurate than they think. A new study by a study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago says stress could be causing coronary artery calcification in black women. Health Day News reports this: The investigators found that the more discrimination the women felt, the more … [Read more...] about Feeling Discrimination Can Hurt Your Heart

...but it proves yet again the validity of Einstein's theories: Near Perfect "Einstein Ring" Discovered Summary - (Apr 29, 2005) Gravitational lensing happens when the gravity of a relatively close galaxy acts as a telescope lens to focus the light from a more distant galaxy. It allows astronomers to see distant objects they could never have a hope of observing with current … [Read more...] about It may sound abstruse, an “Einstein Ring”…