If you haven’t noticed, Russia hasn’t been in the news that much over the last week. Are they in hiding while doing more damage? North Korea and the trade talks with China are dominating the airways. And it’s been over a year since Bob Mueller started digging into the dirty relationship between the Russians and the Trump team, but the issue of Russian collusion with Trump and … [Read more...] about Where Are the Russians?
Trump’s dehumanization project
WASHINGTON -- It's never right to call other human beings "animals." It's not something we should even have to debate. No matter how debased the behavior of a given individual or group, no matter how much legitimate anger genuinely evil actions might inspire, dehumanizing others always leads us down a dangerous path. This is why we need to reflect on the controversy over … [Read more...] about Trump’s dehumanization project
The Right to Bear Arms is America’s Hunger Games
by Shannon Lee Layland In the science fiction books and movies “The Hunger Games”, young “tributes” are selected from rebellious areas to fight to the death on television. The purpose of the “Games” is to remind the rebels of the horrible deeds committed by their ancestors during the last uprising. This reminder is meant to help secure the power of the current government and … [Read more...] about The Right to Bear Arms is America’s Hunger Games
A Russia Scandal Q&A As Trump’s Forces Of Evil Face Off Against Maximum Bob Mueller
Has it really only been a year since Robert Mueller was named special counsel and took over the Russia election interference investigation begun by ousted FBI Director Jim Comey? What does Maximum Bob have to show for his labors? Will the powerful Forces of Evil lined up behind Donald Trump be able to derail him and save the president? Or not? Herewith the answers to … [Read more...] about A Russia Scandal Q&A As Trump’s Forces Of Evil Face Off Against Maximum Bob Mueller
Mike Peters Guest Cartoon: School Procession
OF RELATED INTEREST: --Texas official blames school shooting on too many exits and entrances --NRA's Oliver North Blames School Shootings On Ritalin --New Reality for High School Students: Calculating the Risk of Getting Shot I’m done wasting my breath.If dead children can’t convince you we need to change, nothing will.Here’s what’s going to happen:We outnumber … [Read more...] about Mike Peters Guest Cartoon: School Procession
Privatizing essential human services like the VA can come at a high social cost
For-profit service providers may use discrimination as a way to make more money. wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock.com Sebastian Jilke, Rutgers University Newark and Wouter Van Dooren, University of Antwerp Over the years, countries have privatized dozens of services and activities once the sole domain of governments, such as the provision of electricity … [Read more...] about Privatizing essential human services like the VA can come at a high social cost
Royal Racism (Cartoon and Column)
I think the thing that bums me out the most about the wedding between Prince Harry and American Meghan Markle is that I remember the wedding between Prince Charles and Diana. God, I’m getting old. A lot of people seem to be making a stink about Meghan being of mixed race. I thought maybe it was being overblown until I saw a headline in a British publication saying something … [Read more...] about Royal Racism (Cartoon and Column)
Actually, Mueller’s ‘witch hunt’ is bagging flesh-and-blood villains
by Ruth Marcus Washington Post Writers Group Columnist WASHINGTON -- Congratulations, America, indeed. President Trump was being sarcastic when he tweeted, at 7:28 Thursday morning, "Congratulations America, we are now into the second year of the greatest Witch Hunt in American History ... and there is still No Collusion and No Obstruction." A year into the probe by … [Read more...] about Actually, Mueller’s ‘witch hunt’ is bagging flesh-and-blood villains
Great Music Chapter 18
This a page from the score of Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C#m. The first thing a student notices when confronted with this piece of music is it takes 4 staffs for Rachmaninoff to show all the notes instead of the normal 2 staffs. In other words there are Two Treble Clefs and Two Bass Clefs for each line of music. The first comment, after looking at their own hands, is how in the … [Read more...] about Great Music Chapter 18
A Weekend Fluff Piece on ‘Punctuality’
We have some dear friends who, when invited for dinner or some other social function, can never be “on time.” By not being on time, I mean they might casually waltz in when the rest of the crowd is savoring the last vestiges of dessert. Yet, we love them because they remind us of our relatives in South America for whom punctuality is nothing but a dream. And, yes, we love … [Read more...] about A Weekend Fluff Piece on ‘Punctuality’
5 things to know about mass shootings in America
5 things to know about mass shootings in America Outside Santa Fe High School in Texas on May 18, 2018. AP Photo/David J. Phillip Frederic Lemieux, Georgetown University At least 10 students were killed at a Santa Fe, Texas high school on May 18 after a classmate opened fire with a shotgun and a .38 revolver. The … [Read more...] about 5 things to know about mass shootings in America
Cartoon: Gun Country
Scott Pruitt’s approach to pollution control will make the air dirtier and Americans less healthy
Smog alert in Cleveland, Ohio, July 20, 1973. USEPA Robert Percival, University of Maryland Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s ethical lapses and extravagant spending habits have distracted the public from what he is doing to roll back important environmental protections. Pruitt helped persuade President Donald Trump to … [Read more...] about Scott Pruitt’s approach to pollution control will make the air dirtier and Americans less healthy
Cartoon: Guns and Hammers
Another School Shooting: ‘Thoughts and prayers are not nearly enough.’
Today, on a day when at least nine more young lives were snuffed out suddenly, horrifically and way prematurely by “humans” with guns in my home state, I – I am sure along with thousands of others – received this heartfelt letter from two persons who know the horror of gun fire. Instead of offering the now-perfunctory “thoughts and prayers,” I would like to share their words … [Read more...] about Another School Shooting: ‘Thoughts and prayers are not nearly enough.’
A Tsunami of Evil
It's tough to even know where to begin. But let's start here: Trump personally pushed postmaster general to double rates on Amazon, other firms Washington Post President Trump has personally pushed U.S. Postmaster General Megan Brennan to double the rate the Postal Service charges Amazon.com and other firms to ship packages, according to three people familiar … Heck, … [Read more...] about A Tsunami of Evil
U.S. Politics: Everyone’s Gone Cuckoo
A scene in an American cartoon summarizes the current state of U.S. politics. In the scene, the show's main protagonist declares, "Everyone's gone cuckoo," while running through mayhem. I have witnessed so much political lunacy coming from all sides that I want to do as SpongeBob does: I want to say to every politician and political pundit . . . The … [Read more...] about U.S. Politics: Everyone’s Gone Cuckoo
The Profiteer- in-Chief Goes belly Up for China
The U.S. Constitution has been reduced to a scrap of parchment, rendered irrelevant by the profiteer-in-chief. President Trump relentlessly railed against China on the campaign trail ("It's the greatest theft in the history of the world, what they've done to the United States, they've taken our jobs!"), but days ago he suddenly tweeted his desire to save ZTE, China's … [Read more...] about The Profiteer- in-Chief Goes belly Up for China
Politicians aren’t as dumb as we think
WASHINGTON -- Let's posit three rules of political analysis. First, data are better than presuppositions. Second, actual votes cast can tell us more than the polls. Third, even when we carefully examine the facts, we're all vulnerable to seeking confirmation of what we believed in the first place. On the basis of these rules, some widely accepted assumptions about our … [Read more...] about Politicians aren’t as dumb as we think
Maximum Bob Mueller Indictment Watch: Fredo Sinks Deeper In The Collusion Cauldron
Practically from the moment we learned of the infamous June 9, 2016 Trump Tower sitdown convened by Donald "Fredo" Trump Jr. to get dirt on Hillary Clinton from a lawyer with close Kremlin ties, it has been less a meeting than a big smoking gun and on its face ample proof that the Trump campaign was delighted to collude with Russia in its cybersabotage of the Hillary Clinton … [Read more...] about Maximum Bob Mueller Indictment Watch: Fredo Sinks Deeper In The Collusion Cauldron