The man who provided the conceptual framework for the United States' postwar Cold War policy of containing communism is dead. His name: George Kennan, who died at 101. The New York Times has an extensive bio which notes: George F. Kennan, the American diplomat who did more than any other envoy of his generation to shape United States policy during the cold war, died on … [Read more...] about The Strategist Who Planned U.S. Postwar WWII Foreign Policy Is Dead

Fidel Castro is furious and an threatening to sue Forbes magazine (we would love to sit in the courtroom on that one) for ranking him among the world's richest people. Perhaps Forbes forgot that everything he owns, or controls belongs to "the people." You could say Castrol is fit to be tied, except in his dictatorship his security people usually do the tying...so let's just … [Read more...] about Then Should We Call It “The Fortune Of The People?”

President Ronald Reagan's daughter Patty Davis has issued a blistering attack in Newsweek on President George Bush on oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other issues, charging that Bush's main goal is winning political battles rather than enacting policies. "We have an administration in Washington that cares nothing for this planet, for beauty, for … [Read more...] about Reagan’s Daughter Blasts George Bush On ANWR Drilling

Pundits generally agree that that actor Robert Blake was acquitted of killing his wife because the prosecution relied on a largely cirumstantial case — and that clearly is not the case in the trial of Michael Jackson on child molestation charges. No one can predict how this will end, of course, but this trial will hinge on specific accusations made by his 14-year-old … [Read more...] about Michael Jackson’s Trial Is No Robert Blake Trial

It looks like there could be a breather to the bloodshed in Israel -- but it depends on a bunch of "ifs": SIXTH OF OCTOBER CITY, Egypt - (KRT) - Palestinian militants agreed in writing Thursday to end attacks against Israel through the end of the year as long as the Israeli government reciprocated. The formal extension of the "calming down" period, agreed to at a three-day … [Read more...] about A Breather In Israel

MORE bad news for Tom DeLay. Despite strong continued support from President Bush, DeLay has now entered into that uneviable area into which politocos often fall where they become instant satirists' jokes or late night punchlines. This gives him even less leeway than he has had. More negative developments and he his untouchability and the GOP's defense of him could take a … [Read more...] about Tom DeLay Enters The Ridicule Zone

Yes, you could say it's barbaric — but you could also say that it might act as a deterrent. An Iranian accused of murdering at least 20 kids was executed in front of a large crowd in a most unnice way that might make other child killers in Iran give it at least a passing thought: Mohammad Bijeh, 24, dubbed "the Tehran desert vampire" by Iran's press, was flogged 100 … [Read more...] about An Unseemly Execution In Iran

Talk about controversy: President Bush nominated Deputy Defense Secreatary Paul Wolfowitz, a top neocon thinker and leader, to head the World Bank and if you can't yet call it a firestorm, you can safely say sparks have been flying here and abroad. But how much of it is due to info at hand about Wolfowitz, and how much of it represents justifiable fear, and how much of it … [Read more...] about Bush Nomination Of Wolfowitz To World Bank : Controversial

When a jury nixed the criminal case against actor Robert Blake the bottom line question became: did the jury find him innocent or not guilty? And the bottom line answer, if you read all the accounts and watched various jurors on TV, becomes this: the jury followed the guidelines set down by the law and found the prosecution failed to meet them. In case you were on Jupiter … [Read more...] about Robert Blake: Found Innocent Or Not Guilty?

… [Read more...] about HAPPY ST. PATTY’S DAY!

TMV got in LATE last night from Gig Harbor, Washington (flying out of Seattle). Our posts will therefore start appearing here after 7 a.m. tomorrow morning. It'll be a normal posting day — but we'll start later. Check back OFTEN (we do have some things on the drawing boards...) ABOUT OUR BLOGROLL: We've gotten emails about what happened to it. We have been using … [Read more...] about Our Posts Will Start A Bit Later Today

There was an old Hollywood movie mogul saying: "If you want to send them a message, send it Western Union." You could update this: if you want to send a cop a message put it on your license plate. … [Read more...] about He Was Not Exactly A Brain Surgeon

Watching people eat isn't lovely isn't appealing and watching animals eat can be downright nauseating — especially if they're devouring whole horses. So safari parks in China has decided to make a tiny change: Safari parks in China have agreed to stop feeding their lions and tigers large live animals such as horses — at least in public. The gory eating habits … [Read more...] about “Mommy, Look: That Lion Has A Hoof Sticking Out Of His Mouth..”

Homeland Security policymakers have itemized some of the catastrophies that could happen in an effort to pinpoint where money should best be spent -- and it isn't pleasant reading...and raises the question again about whether the U.S. is focusing enough on "softer" targets. Here's a key part of the New York Times report: The document, known simply as the National Planning … [Read more...] about Homeland Security’s Risk Based Planning Scenarios

In early 1973, a few months before he died, my grandfather Abraham Ravinsky opened for the last time a old, yellowing, musty smelling photo album. "You see this one, Joey?" he said, pointing to a picture of a child. "He was killed by Hitler." Then he'd point to a group shot of family members, all wiped out "by Hitler." This man who had survived the Czar's pogroms in Russia, … [Read more...] about A Special Holocaust Museum Opens In Israel

You would NOT want to be a feral cat living in Minnesota. Your day could be shot. … [Read more...] about Feral Cats In Minnesota Apparently Make Great Target Practice

President Bush will hold a press conference today. We'll miss it due to logistic reasons: we're in Gig Harbor, WA and will be travelling today. Unless we get to a computer later in the afternoon, our posts on anything he says won't be on this site until tomorrow. … [Read more...] about Note On Today’s Posts

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is trying to foster stronger ties with India but she's running into a problem that has dogged U.S. policy makers for years: the issue of U.S. ties and arm sales to Pakistan. Rice has said that ties to India both countries have never been better. But her talks in New Delhi hit a snag, Reuters reports, "over a pipeline from Iran and the … [Read more...] about The U.S. Hits Familiar Problem In Relations With India And Pakistan

Our occasional linkfest complete with TMV's pithy comments. Links are NOT restricted to one viewpoint and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Moderate Voice. LIBERAL AIR AMERICA, CONSERVATIVE TALK RADIO AND WHO LIBERALS SHOULD AND SHOULDN'T LISTEN TO are discussed in lively, fascinating, and as always thought provoking detail by the inimitable James Wolcott. READ IT … [Read more...] about Around The ‘Sphere

Watching quick breaking events unfold at Harvard where President Lawrence Summers is being skewered due to an inaccurate generalization about women is like truly watching a car careening in slow motion off a cliff. We are now smack-dab in the age of PC, which will not die, no matter how many stakes critics drive through its heart. No matter: Count PCula rises again. A … [Read more...] about PC Hell At Harvard