The inspiration for this post came from a conversation with my sister. We were talking about the influence Fox News and the right wing conservatives have on the voters. As my sister pointed out, millions of dollars are constantly being poured in to advertising to promote a very specific message that appeals to a group of people who vote in every election. Along with the … [Read more...] about We cannot give up
Profile vs. talent in politics
The first Republican presidential debate is two weeks away and for those not in the top tier the pressure is on to find a way to get in. Fox News, which will run the first debate in Cleveland, is limiting participation to 10 candidates based on five polls, though we don’t yet know which polls will be used. Using an average based upon on five polls tracked by … [Read more...] about Profile vs. talent in politics
With Infrastructure, Government Failure Buoys The Private Sector
The United States is home to many contradictions, but none are as perplexing as what our great country can and cannot afford. We are told, for example, that our economy cannot afford a living wage, even as Congress continues to favor the rich with tax breaks and loopholes. But wages are far from the only casualty of our government’s spectacularly poor stewardship of public … [Read more...] about With Infrastructure, Government Failure Buoys The Private Sector
Clinton Denies Sending Classified Information From Private Server
Following reports that two Inspectors General have requested an investigation regarding the possibility of Hillary Clinton having sent classified email from her private server, Clinton has denied the accusations. Politico reports: Hillary Clinton said she is confident none of the emails she sent or received using her private email server while secretary of state contained … [Read more...] about Clinton Denies Sending Classified Information From Private Server
Stiglitz On Greece
Joe Stiglitz has been spending the last little while in Greece, checking out the state of affairs. Those affairs, he predicts, will get worse and follow a course of events which keep repeating themselves: As I read the details, I had a sense of déjà vu. As chief economist of the World Bank in the late 1990s, I saw firsthand in East Asia the devastating effects of the … [Read more...] about Stiglitz On Greece
Political Extremists: The Lions in a Circus Act
Political extremists are a rather odd lot. They think they're mainstream when they're not. In a commentary published by The Washington Times, Joseph Curl writes, "This is, of course, the “Silly Season” — the dog days of summer when almost no regular people are paying attention to politics and those who are flirt with some oddballs." Absent a Ringling Brothers Circus to go … [Read more...] about Political Extremists: The Lions in a Circus Act
Politix Update: The Republican Party’s Next Headache Is A Guy Who Wears A Funny Hat
As if the Republican Party didn't have enough negative publicity-grabbing problems with a man who is not serious about wanting to be president leading an overcrowded field of people who really want to be president and a president who is doing a pretty good job of being president, now comes (well, pretty soon, anyway) the Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the … [Read more...] about Politix Update: The Republican Party’s Next Headache Is A Guy Who Wears A Funny Hat
Senate GOP leaders blast Cruz for calling McConnell a liar
WASHINGTON ?? The Senate's Republican leadership rhetorically took Sen. Ted Cruz to the woodshed Sunday for calling Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a liar last week on the chamber's floor. The admonishment of Cruz, R-Texas, and the Republican presidential candidate's unapologetic defense, was a prelude to a series of votes that advanced language to revive the… … [Read more...] about Senate GOP leaders blast Cruz for calling McConnell a liar
Racist tweet mars U.S. – Israel relations (Guest Voice)
Racist tweet mars U.S. – Israel relations by Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — The Washington Post and other sources have reported on a regrettable tweet dispatched—and then withdrawn—by Judy Shalom Nir-Mozes, who is married to Israel’s deputy prime minster, Silvan Shalom. She is also is a prominent media personality in her own right. The despicable tweet was as … [Read more...] about Racist tweet mars U.S. – Israel relations (Guest Voice)
Americans polarized but ambivalent
WASHINGTON -- So accustomed are we to highlighting the polarized nature of our politics that we often forget how many Americans decline to be painted in bright reds or bright blues. Among us, there are pinks and turquoises and even purples. And these voters will matter a great deal to the elections in 2016 and beyond. To understand a rather strange moment during which … [Read more...] about Americans polarized but ambivalent
The questionable integrity of Jeb Bush
Having been around in the early 1970s I do recall the very effective propaganda use made by President Nixon of the return of Vietnam prisoners of war. As Rick Perlstein so brilliantly describes it in his book, The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan, the war was lost but Americans were willing to be convinced that getting our POWs home was enough of a … [Read more...] about The questionable integrity of Jeb Bush
SciFi Weekend: Hannibal; Mr. Robot; Humans; Jonathan Strange; Sense8
The third season of Hannibal was initially to be about Hannibal Lecter as a fugitive in Europe, mirroring the Hannibal novel. With Bryan Fuller realizing that this would probably be the final season of Hannibal on NBC, with its future after that still unknown, he reduced this to about half the season so he could move on to Red Dragon. That has probably worked out for the better … [Read more...] about SciFi Weekend: Hannibal; Mr. Robot; Humans; Jonathan Strange; Sense8
Military Weekend 3
The islands of Hawai’i are one of America’s favorite vacation destinations. They are also some of our most strategic national security assets and home to the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM), a command whose area of responsibility covers about half the earth’s surface, from the shores of California and Alaska to India, from Antarctica to the North Pole. A command … [Read more...] about Military Weekend 3
The Past Through Pictures XVI
A couple of simple still lifes on this Sunday. And a strawberry. The list of links to past posts is getting a bit long so I will put up a link to the last post in the European series and you can find other links at the bottom of that post. The Path Through Pictures VIII The Past Through Pictures IX The Past Through Pictures X The Past Through Pictures … [Read more...] about The Past Through Pictures XVI
Huckabee’s political obscenity: says Obama is marching Israel “to the door of the oven”
NOTE: Due to an error the original version of this story referred to Mike Huckabee as former Arizona Gov. It is former Arkansas Gov. We regret the error. Our politics has now gotten so over-the-top with its rhetoric that it goes beyond recklessness. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has now come up with what has to be the most outrageous political line of the year. But … [Read more...] about Huckabee’s political obscenity: says Obama is marching Israel “to the door of the oven”
How ‘The New York Times’ Bungled the Hillary Clinton Emails Story (Guest Voice)
by Kurt Eichenwald What the hell is happening at The New York Times? In March, the newspaper published a highly touted article about Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal email account that, as I wrote in an earlier column, was wrong in its major points. The Times’s public editor defended that piece, linking to a lengthy series of regulations… … [Read more...] about How ‘The New York Times’ Bungled the Hillary Clinton Emails Story (Guest Voice)
Urine trouble peeing in San Francisco: San Francisco combats stench of urine with pee-repellent paint
(Reuters) - Don't get into a pissing match with walls in San Francisco.The city's Public Works agency is testing a pee-repellant paint on walls in areas that have been saturated with urine. Anyone urinating on the specially treated walls will get the spray splashed back onto them.San Francisco's director of public works, Mohammed Nuru - whose Twitter handle is @MrCleanSF - got … [Read more...] about Urine trouble peeing in San Francisco: San Francisco combats stench of urine with pee-repellent paint
Cartoon: Trump Party Pooper
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 Party Pooper
Obama Outlines New Ivory Restrictions
The U.S. will begin taking what the White House termed “urgently needed steps” to tighten restrictions on the sale of ivory from African elephants, President Barack Obama announced Saturday. The announcement came during the president’s trip to Kenya, where he spoke at a joint press conference in Nairobi with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. Obama said the… … [Read more...] about Obama Outlines New Ivory Restrictions
‘NCIS’ Again Skunked—Except by the People
Once again, as expected, the people who give out Emmy nominations skunked NCIS. No nominations for acting. None for writing. Not one for directing or producing. Not even a nomination in what the industry calls the minor awards—sound editing, stunt coordination, and dozens of others. The one-hour drama, with light overtones, is the most-watched drama in television, but the … [Read more...] about ‘NCIS’ Again Skunked—Except by the People