TMV author Patricia Smith posted an excellent essay on “patriotism,” and readers waded in with equally excellent thoughts on this concept. In my opinion, we saw a good example of patriotism -- and heroism -- in the brave actions by two American servicemen and an American civilian when all hell broke loose on a high-speed train on its way from Amsterdam to Paris. To … [Read more...] about Military Weekend: ‘Patriotism’
Germany vows to fight xenophobia after attacks on refugee home
By Madeline ChambersBERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's interior minister led calls on Sunday for a crackdown on right-wing militants and racists after a second night of scuffles between protesters and police outside a refugee shelter in an eastern German town near Dresden.Just a day after 31 police officers were hurt in violent protests against the asylum seekers, a Reuters … [Read more...] about Germany vows to fight xenophobia after attacks on refugee home
Stop digging the hole, Secretary Clinton (Guest Voice)
Stop digging the hole, Secretary Clinton Washington Post Writers Group Columnist WASHINGTON -- Dear Secretary Clinton: Your email problem has mushroomed from a self-inflicted nuisance to a self-inflicted wound. The reason is simple: At every decision point, you and your staff have made the wrong choice about how to proceed, erring on the side of … [Read more...] about Stop digging the hole, Secretary Clinton (Guest Voice)
Fact-checking Trump’s immigration plan
TRENTON -- How much of Donald Trump's recently released policy paper about combatting unauthorized immigration is accurate? FactCheck.org has posted a lengthy examination of the claims made by Trump, the billionaire businessman turned Republican presidential frontrunner. Some of the key findings: * In the nearly 1,900-word paper released Sunday, Trump's campaign calls for an … [Read more...] about Fact-checking Trump’s immigration plan
Media Are Out to Get Everyone (Guest Voice)
Media Are Out to Get Everyone By Peter Funt Journalists pass a litmus test for fairness in covering politics when both parties hate their work. It's refreshing, therefore, at this early stage of the 2016 presidential campaign, to hear Democrats criticizing so-called liberal media, and Republicans chastising conservative media. Republican Donald Trump attacked Fox News … [Read more...] about Media Are Out to Get Everyone (Guest Voice)
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s re-election bid: The power and perils of incumbency
“You know,” Stephen Harper once said, “the longer I’m prime minister . . . the longer I’m prime minister.” Aside from giving his biographer Paul Wells a clever title for his 2013 bestseller, The Longer I’m Prime Minister, Harper’s stating of the obvious was a reminder that the Conservative leader has always been in it for… … [Read more...] about Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s re-election bid: The power and perils of incumbency
Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren meet in D.C.
Vice President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Washington, D.C., on Saturday to meet with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, spurring more rumors that Mr. Biden is very close to announcing a 2016 run. Mr. Biden and Ms. Warren, who also faced early pressure from Democrats to run for the oval office, met in the vice… … [Read more...] about Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren meet in D.C.
Politicaly Correct Land Mark Names
I don't have much to say that the other TMV authors have not said already so here is a Saturday picture. This is Mt Washington in Oregon. The native Americans called it squa tit a name that continued to be used by settlers until the state of Oregon decided to "clean up" geographic names. Another example is Rooster Rock in the Columbia gorge. It was called "cock rock" by … [Read more...] about Politicaly Correct Land Mark Names
What is patriotism?
Miriam Webster's online dictionary defines patriotism as love for or devotion to one's country. Perhaps the images most associated with patriotism are of someone waving the American flag or displaying the American flag or wearing an American flag pin. The tea party members and the right wing militia groups believe themselves to be not only patriotic, but following … [Read more...] about What is patriotism?
Donald Trump Calls Martin O’Malley A Weak Pathetic Baby
Maybe the debates will help get O'Malley's campaign on track, but he will have to wait until October for that opportunity thanks to the Democratic National Committe's decision to protect Hillary Clinton. OMalley did receive some unexpected attention--an attack from Donald Trump for apologizing after offending black lives matters activists. Politco reports: Democratic … [Read more...] about Donald Trump Calls Martin O’Malley A Weak Pathetic Baby
Cartoon: Trump’s Wall
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Trump’s Wall
It’s Time to Take on Trump (Guest Voice)
It's Time to Take on Trump by Michael Reagan Is Donald Trump the Republican Party's "Music Man"? Is he the celebrity con man who's going to lead the GOP's parade of candidates from now all the way until next November? I hope not, but so far that's exactly what the 2016 script is looking like. Trump — a political novice -- has been leading the Republican's … [Read more...] about It’s Time to Take on Trump (Guest Voice)
Two US Marines reportedly foil attack on European train
BERLIN — Two U.S. Marines on a train from Paris to Amsterdam apparently broke up what is being investigated as a possible terror attack Friday that injured three people, including one American. According to the French newspaper Le Monde, the Marines, in civilian clothes at the time, heard "the sound of a heavy weapon being loaded"… … [Read more...] about Two US Marines reportedly foil attack on European train
Drumbeat: Trump’s target is Fox, and the arrows are beginning to hit dead-center
If you Google "Trump Fox" these days, you get a raft of entries -- all suggesting (nothing new here) that Donald Trump is a "mole," that his candidacy is an effort to bring the Republican party down. That's believable, if not necessarily what's going on. A more interesting edge to the story was reiterated this morning on NPR. Is this also about Roger Ailes, Ailes' effort … [Read more...] about Drumbeat: Trump’s target is Fox, and the arrows are beginning to hit dead-center
Ornstein: Why GOP History May Not Repeat Itself with Trump
Norm Ornstein explains why Donald Trump may not be 2016's Cain, Bachman or Gingrich in The Atlantic. Still, I am more skeptical of the usual historical skepticism than I have been in a long time. A part of my skepticism flows from my decades inside the belly of the congressional beast. I have seen the Republican Party go from being a center-right party, with a solid minority … [Read more...] about Ornstein: Why GOP History May Not Repeat Itself with Trump
Wall Street tumbles 500 points on China fears; Dow confirms correction
By Chuck Mikolajczak(Reuters) - Fears of a China-led global economic slowdown drove Wall Street to its steepest one-day drop in nearly four years on Friday and left the Dow industrials more than 10 percent below a May record.Wall Street's selloff this week suggested investors are growing nervous about paying high prices for stocks at a time of minimal earnings growth, tumbling … [Read more...] about Wall Street tumbles 500 points on China fears; Dow confirms correction
Why a GOP President Won’t Repeal and Replace Obamacare
Ezra Klein explains why the next Republican President won't keep this universal 2016 campaign promise on vox.com. Is a party that brutalized Obamacare for taking insurance away from people who were happy with what they had really going to become the party that takes insurance away from millions of people who are happy with what they have? Is a party that attacked Obamacare for … [Read more...] about Why a GOP President Won’t Repeal and Replace Obamacare
Cartoon: Jared likes his meat fresh
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Jared likes his meat fresh
How to compete against Trump?
WASHINGTON -- It has dawned on the Republican presidential field that Donald Trump's inevitable self-destruction might be, gulp, evitable. Waiting for the unlikely front-runner to beat himself is starting to look like a plan, as Trump might put it, for total losers. So the other candidates are trying various strategies to seize the initiative. Thus far, nothing seems … [Read more...] about How to compete against Trump?
Immigration and the GOP
Some Republican politicians and pundits have said things about illegal immigrants that are foolish at best. Let's cut to the chase. Donald Trump has made statements about immigrants that are absolutely toxic to the GOP. That case is made in a 07/10/15 story published by Politico. Here is an excerpt. Donald Trump’s statements on immigrants are going to kill the … [Read more...] about Immigration and the GOP