August 5, 1974 was a significant day in modern American history. The New Yorker explains: [It was] the day the Nixon Presidency ended. On that day, Nixon heeded a Supreme Court ruling and released the so-called smoking-gun tape, a recording of a meeting, held two years earlier, with his chief of staff, H. R. Haldeman. Precisely 44 years later, August 5, 2018, another … [Read more...] about Two Presidents Forty-Four Years Apart In Time But Very Close in Modus Operandi
Democrats Aren’t All Bad (Really!)
Democrats aren't all bad. Granted, that should go without saying, but some Republicans have trouble believing it. It is a mistake for Republicans to pretend that they are holier-than or more-righteous-than Democrats because the former aren't. No, one doesn't have to be a liberal or a Democrat to offer a defense of Democrats. This blogger has never been a Democrat and has … [Read more...] about Democrats Aren’t All Bad (Really!)
Donald Trump and ‘The Death of Truth’
The lies rain down on us so relentlessly that we're often benumbed. Shortly after Donald Trump tweeted last week that the Russians would help the Democrats win the midterms, we learned that the Russians have tried to hack the 2018 campaign of Sen. Claire McCaskill - a Democrat. And minutes after Donald Jr. tweeted that President Obama's economy never posted two percent GDP … [Read more...] about Donald Trump and ‘The Death of Truth’
Journalists are playing into Trump’s hand
WASHINGTON -- A question to my colleagues in the media: Why do we play President Trump's foil? The scene in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, last Thursday night was familiar: journalists on an elevated platform in the middle of the arena, penned in, filming the proceedings and typing on their laptops while the president of the United States points at them and provokes thousands … [Read more...] about Journalists are playing into Trump’s hand
A Nixonian Approach to North Korea
The three Kims, grandfather, father, and now grandson, have dictatorially ruled North Korea since its founding in 1948. Over the past 70 years the Kims have created a brutally sophisticated dictatorship. They have perfected all the necessary elements: massive propaganda and scapegoating (all problems are caused by Americans and their puppets, the South Koreans), informants and … [Read more...] about A Nixonian Approach to North Korea
About That Fat Man In The Corner: When Telling The Truth Is As Incriminating As Lying
First Donald Trump's handlers said there were no meetings between his campaign and Russians. None whatsoever. Then they admitted there were low-level meetings. Then they admitted there were lots of them. Then they admitted there were high-level meetings. Lots of them, too. But they were about adoptions. Then they admitted that those lots of high-level meetings were not … [Read more...] about About That Fat Man In The Corner: When Telling The Truth Is As Incriminating As Lying
What Makes a Good Poem?
I am not a poet, but I do enjoy poetry. “Recently,” that is during the past two years, I have sought out, posted and written about a type of poetry that has gone viral in the aftermath of the 2016 election, “(Political) Poetry in the Time of Trump.” But powerful and politically effective as it may or may not be, political poems will never compare to good, traditional … [Read more...] about What Makes a Good Poem?
Trump The Worst President Ever?
Is Donald Trump the worst President ever? Will he end up being a one-term President? It would be foolish to proclaim with any certainty what will happen during the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Prior to the 2004 election, Left-wing syndicated columnist Richard Reeves boldly proclaimed that George W. Bush would be a one-term POTUS. Reeves is still scraping the egg off his … [Read more...] about Trump The Worst President Ever?
Mayhem Is Our President
A manchild at the wheel, a raccoon gnawing at the nation’s wires, a walking calamity that lurks around every corner. by Michael Winship know that some find it odious to compare Donald Trump to Adolph Hitler, that doing so violates what’s known as Godwin’s Law. That’s the idea first put forward in 1990 by author Mike Godwin that morphed into the notion that in an … [Read more...] about Mayhem Is Our President
Media Accosted (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Donald Trump took his traveling freak show to Tampa Tuesday night and it was a coming out party for the worst of us. He continued his war against the media, where he’s labeled them in the past as scum, dishonest, terrible people, bad actors, liars, fake news, and even the enemy of the American people. During the presidential campaign, he would single out MSNBC’s Katy Tur at … [Read more...] about Media Accosted (Cartoon, Column and Video)
The deep cynicism of Bernie Sanders’ chief strategist
ASHINGTON -- Tad Devine, during his run as chief strategist for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, railed against the corrupting influence of money in politics. He repeatedly echoed the Sanders message that "our economy is rigged," that "special interests" buy politicians, that "all of the new wealth is going to the top of America," that there is a "corrupt system of … [Read more...] about The deep cynicism of Bernie Sanders’ chief strategist
The Perils of ‘Mistranslation’
I have occasionally commented on the perils of being multilingual, especially when one starts to lose fluency in one of those languages and must quickly translate thoughts in one language into words in another language. I think of the time when I visited my native country several years ago and laughed aloud when I read in a local Spanish language newspaper that an American … [Read more...] about The Perils of ‘Mistranslation’
UN says Trump increases risk of violence against American journalists
President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on US media increase the risk of violence against journalists and violate press freedoms and international human rights law. “We are especially concerned that these attacks increase the risk of journalists being targeted with violence,” two UN human rights experts said in a statement today. “These attacks run counter to the … [Read more...] about UN says Trump increases risk of violence against American journalists
Rising suicides in Mexico expose the mental health toll of living with extreme, chronic violence
New suicide data indicates that years of record bloodshed in Mexico have traumatized residents in places where the violence is most concentrated. Reuters/Jorge Lopez Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, University of California San Diego Mexico has suffered one of the world’s highest murder rates for over a decade, a consequence of the government’s aggressive, … [Read more...] about Rising suicides in Mexico expose the mental health toll of living with extreme, chronic violence
Why Trump isn’t fighting the bots
WASHINGTON -- Here is the issue raised by Facebook's revelations this week about disinformation that we need to face squarely: The political interests of the president of the United States coincide with the purposes of foreign forces using social media to divide us along the lines of race and culture. President Trump's refusal to make combating Russian interference a high … [Read more...] about Why Trump isn’t fighting the bots
Logic from Rudy (Cartoon and Column)
Rudy Giuliani has taken on the Trump talking point that collusion is not a crime. This means he, like many other Republicans and Trump sycophants, are OK with treason, cooperating with a hostile foreign government to gain the presidency through illicit means. Collusion by itself is not a crime, but collusion doesn’t come alone. It comes with conspiracy and all sorts of … [Read more...] about Logic from Rudy (Cartoon and Column)
The infantilization of Western culture
> What happens when an entire society succumbs to childlike behavior and discourse? Elantseva Marina Simon Gottschalk, University of Nevada, Las Vegas If you regularly watch TV, you’ve probably seen a cartoon bear pitching you toilet paper, a gecko with a British accent selling you auto insurance and a bunny in sunglasses … [Read more...] about The infantilization of Western culture
(UPDATED) Scandal Goalposts Haven’t Merely Been Moved, They’ve Been Obliterated
I have said it thrice: What I tell you three times is true. ~ THE HUNTING OF THE SNARK Is the ground moving under our feet and the Russia scandal is entering a new and perhaps penultimate phase with Donald Trump and his handlers, as well as the Vichy Republican congressional sycophancy, turning up the volume on bizarre double talk and no longer denying campaign contacts … [Read more...] about (UPDATED) Scandal Goalposts Haven’t Merely Been Moved, They’ve Been Obliterated
Credible Liars (Cartoon, Column and Video)
It takes some serious gaslighting, chutzpah, and cajones to discredit someone while defending Donald Trump by accusing them of being a liar. It’s similar to when a Republican congressman pointed out FBI agent Peter Strzok’s infidelity while defending Trump. What’s next? Going after guys with bad comb overs? A few weeks ago, Rudy Giuliani defended Trump by standing up for his … [Read more...] about Credible Liars (Cartoon, Column and Video)
The lifesaving power of gratitude (or, why you should write that thank you note)
An attitude of gratitude may relieve stress, which in turn may lead to better health. michaelhelm/Shutterstock.com Richard Gunderman, Indiana University Gratitude may be more beneficial than we commonly suppose. One recent study asked subjects to write a note of thanks to someone and then estimate how surprised and happy the recipient would feel – an … [Read more...] about The lifesaving power of gratitude (or, why you should write that thank you note)