This week I was without my trusty Sirius XM radio which gave me over 150 stations and was instead at the mercy of public AM and FM Radio. I was struck by how total the conversion of the Republican Party from the Party of Lincoln to the Party of Trump has been. Yes, there are prominent Republican hold outs (the Bush family, Mitt Romney and a slew of Senators) who won't attend … [Read more...] about Conversion to Trumpublican Party complete: Never Trump crashes and burns
Dona Nobis Pacem
A wise man once told me that the world is like a piece of cloth. You stretch it only so much before it tears apart. After learning about the attack in Nice last night, I felt like the fabric of our world is being torn to shreds. Tomorrow night, I will sing for the victims of Orlando. It is only one month since the nightclub attack (and some argue that it was not a … [Read more...] about Dona Nobis Pacem
The new news spectacle
The new news spectacle by Esther J. Cepeda Washington Post Writers Group Columnist HICAGO -- In the days after the 9/11 attacks, mental health experts pleaded that the public not steep themselves and their families in the wall-to-wall footage of death and terror. The experts explained that feasting yourself on images of traumatic events may lead to serious mental … [Read more...] about The new news spectacle
Truck terrorist kills 80 in Nice, France, Bastille Day crowd
By Sophie Sassard and Michel Bernouin NICE, France (Reuters) - A "terrorist" gunman killed 80 people and wounded scores when he drove a heavy truck at high speed into a crowd watching Bastille Day fireworks in the French Riviera city of Nice late on Thursday, officials said. In a pre-dawn address to the nation, President Francois Hollande called up military and police … [Read more...] about Truck terrorist kills 80 in Nice, France, Bastille Day crowd
Racists can be black, too.
It should be a given that racists can be people of any race. Yet, every now and then, someone dares to opine that black people can't be racists. The most-recent someone to do so is CNN political commentator Marc Lamont Hill. During a discussion on CNN, Hill said, "To say that the Black Lives Matter movement is racist is bizarre to me. Not just because black people don't … [Read more...] about Racists can be black, too.
Media reports: Trump picks Pence as V.P running mate
By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump chose Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate on Thursday, U.S. media reported, a move that will put at Trump's side a conservative with the potential to unify divided Republicans. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee is to announce his choice on Friday at 11 a.m. in … [Read more...] about Media reports: Trump picks Pence as V.P running mate
Politix Update: Has The Elusive Hillary Clinton Been Hiding In Plain View All Along?
Hillary Clinton will be the next president less because of her many positive attributes than because her perceived crimes, imaginary as they may be, will not be enough to derail her in the Year of Herr Donald. Talk about damning with faint praise. When you unpack the Himalayan-sized mountain of criticism that has accumulated in Clinton's wake since she was First Lady of … [Read more...] about Politix Update: Has The Elusive Hillary Clinton Been Hiding In Plain View All Along?
Could it be — a Trump convention that’s boring?
Donald Trump recently complained that the 2012 Republican convention was “the most boring convention I’ve ever seen” and he has hinted ever since that his convention would feature celebrities and sports stars and offer a bit of “show business.” But the Republican National Convention lineup for July 18-21 announced this morning falls far short of that goal. Instead of … [Read more...] about Could it be — a Trump convention that’s boring?
Trump Close In Swing States But Hey, This Is An Election
Recently, new surveys from three mega-battleground states were released that left many scratching their heads. Quinnipiac’s polling of Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio showed Donald Trump with narrow leads in the first two and tied in the latter. The polls contradict others - including a series of NBC News/Marist/Wall Street Journal polls released the same day that showed Hillary … [Read more...] about Trump Close In Swing States But Hey, This Is An Election
Clinton’s Room to Grow
WASHINGTON -- The year's political cliche is that Americans will be choosing this fall between two of the most unpopular presidential candidates in our republic's history. Hillary Clinton is in the midst of a concerted effort to change that story line. And the not-so-distant past suggests that she has a fighting chance of succeeding. The assumption behind the debatable … [Read more...] about Clinton’s Room to Grow
The shibboleth of Proposition 66’s death penalty deterrence argument
When Mike Ramos, the current district attorney for San Bernardino County (and candidate for California Attorney General), pleaded for Californians to send him one million dollars at the end of April -- so he could afford "paid petition gatherers" to collect enough signatures to qualify "the Death Penalty Reform and Savings Act of 2016" for placement on the November 8 ballot -- … [Read more...] about The shibboleth of Proposition 66’s death penalty deterrence argument
Letter: Jenny Craig, Manchester Disgrace USD by Backing Trump
[TMV Editor's note: This is a special letter to the Editor of the Times of San Diego that ran before a fundraiser for Donald Trump co-chaired by weight loss maven Jenny Craig and San Diego developer Doug Manchester. TMV is running this letter after the fact due to its important content.] Letter: Jenny Craig, Manchester Disgrace USD by Backing Trump by By Joseph … [Read more...] about Letter: Jenny Craig, Manchester Disgrace USD by Backing Trump
Cartoons: Who Ya’ Gonna Call?
Who Ya' Gonna Call? by Clay Jones First off, let me apologize if I put an ear worm in your head. I read an article a couple days ago where Ray Parker Jr., the writer of the original version of the theme to Ghostbusters, wasn’t very thrilled with the new cover that’s going with the reboot of the movie. I haven’t listened to the cover because it’s by Fallout Boy (they’re … [Read more...] about Cartoons: Who Ya’ Gonna Call?
Peace will let freedom ring (Guest Voice)
Peace will let freedom ring by Jordan Cooper We choose what place we live in and we must live by the laws there. If you would like to change the laws, we have our three branches of government for that. Change must not be made that results in violence on our rap sheets, death certificates, and other things that remove people from intellectual conversations to make a … [Read more...] about Peace will let freedom ring (Guest Voice)
Bias From Police Officers?
The Black Lives Matter movement sprung from a perception that police officers display racial bias. It would be reasonable to ask if that perception is true. Harvard economist Roland G. Fryer, Jr. decided to find out. In an interview with the New York Times, he states, "You know, protesting is not my thing, but data is my thing. So, I decided that I was going to collect a … [Read more...] about Bias From Police Officers?
Trump’s Latest Race-Baiting
Josh Marshall blows the whistle on Donald Trump's most recent race-baiting on Talking Points Memo. Trump claimed that people - "somebody" - called for a moment of silence for mass killer Micah Johnson, the now deceased mass shooter who killed five police officers in Dallas on Thursday night. There is no evidence this ever happened. Searches of the web and social media showed … [Read more...] about Trump’s Latest Race-Baiting
Twitzkreig, or Why Progressives Lose
The past 24 hours ought to have been the beginnings of a grand coalescence of progressives to begin a campaign to -- unlike the GOP victimhood mendacity -- truly take our country back from a troglodyte philosophy that is so ideologically rigid, flawed and fossilized that it ends up as an endless round of "There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza" circular reasonings, … [Read more...] about Twitzkreig, or Why Progressives Lose
Why We Should Care About Doping Scandals in Sport
When you want to ruin a perfectly good trail mix, you toss in a handful of banana chips. When you want to ruin a perfectly good sports exhibition, you toss in a sample-sized cup of steroid-tainted urine. Should we back up? Let’s back up. We’re talking about doping — a practice that continues to persist, even in a world that can no longer keep secrets. We’ve had the … [Read more...] about Why We Should Care About Doping Scandals in Sport
With a push from Bernie, Hillary lurches to the left of Obama
In a presidential election year unlike any other, featuring two controversial candidates who present strong personalities and evoke strong opinions from the public, we may see yet another remarkable deviation from traditional campaign politics. Party platforms typically have no impact on campaign trends once the party conventions are over. But this is 2016 and we have … [Read more...] about With a push from Bernie, Hillary lurches to the left of Obama
‘January’ by Tramps of Days: A Thrilling, Micro-Ambitious Stepping Stone Towards the Bold and New (Album Review)
Any angsty teenager who can’t get laid can pick up a guitar, get their bearings, and pluck away their growing pains through the catharsis of song. That’s the natural way, and it's been the beginning of some of music's most iconic and influential figures. But amidst an overabundance of polished-but-samey rock and indie pop imitators that spring from that tradition, a compilation … [Read more...] about ‘January’ by Tramps of Days: A Thrilling, Micro-Ambitious Stepping Stone Towards the Bold and New (Album Review)