Boy! There's a bunch of people there expressing their opinions about Rachel Dolezal's conversion from white to black. Maybe they have good reasons for agitation but I don't see it. What I'm looking for is the ending of that Kevin Kline movie about a teacher who "comes out" and gets downgraded and thrown out by the school board. The protest of the kids he taught (he was … [Read more...] about Rachel Dolezal’s conversion: Ticked off
12 Reasons America Doesn’t Win Its Wars
Although I qualify as a liberal/progressive I have found The American Conservative magazine a source of wisdom over the years. This article is no exception:12 Reasons America Doesn’t Win Its Wars. Go to the linked article for the 12 reasons but the bottom line is there is no money to be made by winning and lots of money to be made by continuous war. The late great Dwight … [Read more...] about 12 Reasons America Doesn’t Win Its Wars
Valuing the family
WASHINGTON -- Between now and the 2016 election, we need to have a searching national debate over family values. It will not be about whether we as a country are for them. We are. What's required is a grounded and candid discussion about what those words actually mean. Note that I did not follow the convention of putting quotation marks around family values. … [Read more...] about Valuing the family
Just Be Glad You Don’t Live in Kansas under Gov Brownback
Just Be Glad You Don't Live in Kansas By Dick Polman When we last visited the sorry state of Kansas, Governor Sam Brownback - a former short-lived GOP presidential candidate - was showing us what happens when a right-wing ideologue tries to impose his utopian fantasies on the real world. Predictably, the result has been disastrous. When Brownback took over in 2011, he … [Read more...] about Just Be Glad You Don’t Live in Kansas under Gov Brownback
Are these Hillary Clinton’s Four “Aces in the Hole?”
Does former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have four "aces in the hole" that could enhance her chances in the general election if she gets her party's nomination? The Hill's Brent Budowsky thinks so -- and the four he lists are intriguing: Ace No.1: the prospect that Clinton would be the first female president and could do more to champion better pay and greater … [Read more...] about Are these Hillary Clinton’s Four “Aces in the Hole?”
We Can Save Ourselves From Earth-Killing Asteroids, but Someone Has to Pay
Earlier this spring, as violence and chaos drove thousands of refugees onto rickety boats off Libya, with some drowning on the grueling voyage to Italy, scientists gathered on the outskirts of Rome to discuss another sort of catastrophe. Astronomers and physicists from some of the world’s top institutions grappled with a dire scenario: An asteroid possibly… … [Read more...] about We Can Save Ourselves From Earth-Killing Asteroids, but Someone Has to Pay
Our Fallen Heroes, Always Close to Home.
Traveling abroad, thousands of miles away from home? Want to feel close to home -- real close to home? Want to be reminded of American greatness and magnanimity? Want to honor our fallen heroes of World War II and other wars up-close and personal? Visit one of the 25 American cemeteries on foreign soil, hallowed final resting places to more than 124,000 American … [Read more...] about Our Fallen Heroes, Always Close to Home.
800 Years On, A Magna Carta for Our Time
June 15th 2015 marks exactly 800 years since the sealing of the Magna Carta by King John, in an English meadow called Runnymede. The Magna Carta is widely regarded as the document that marked the beginning of the Anglo tradition of constitutional liberty that would eventually lead to the writing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The … [Read more...] about 800 Years On, A Magna Carta for Our Time
Bernie Sanders Contrasts His Views With Those Of Hillary Clinton
"I voted against the war in Iraq. I had the same information as Hillary Clinton did, but I understood the enormous destabilization that would take place." --Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders was interviewed by Diane Rehm on Wednesday. The full audio and transcript is available here. Early in the interview Rehm asked Sanders how he differs from Hillary Clinton. Here is his … [Read more...] about Bernie Sanders Contrasts His Views With Those Of Hillary Clinton
Justice Department Subpoenas Blog To Identify Anonymous Commenters
The Justice Department has issued a subpoena against Reason demanding information on the identities of anonymous commentaters. BuzzFeed reports: The Justice Department has issued a federal grand jury subpoena to Reason, a prominent libertarian publication, to unmask the identity of commenters who made alleged threats against a federal judge. In the June 2 subpoena, first … [Read more...] about Justice Department Subpoenas Blog To Identify Anonymous Commenters
Republicans might as well pound sand
WASHINGTON -- After months of trying to weaken Hillary Clinton by pounding her with everything they've got, the amount of progress Republicans have made is pretty close to zero. The GOP seems to have forgotten the central fact about the Clintons: That which does not kill them makes them stronger. Yes, it's true that a Washington Post-ABC News poll reported last … [Read more...] about Republicans might as well pound sand
Kristol: We Can’t Return to 2009 Health Care
Ezra Klein reports on Bill Kristol's surprising views on the Affordable Care Act on vox.com. Today's GOP lawmakers wouldn't need a memo to know that working with President Obama to pass a massive new entitlement doesn't dovetail with their electoral or ideological interests. Where Republican strategists once had to work to prevent cooperation, today obstruction has become the … [Read more...] about Kristol: We Can’t Return to 2009 Health Care
Cartoon: Fox News and Race
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: Fox News and Race
Migrants and the New Mediterranean Mafia (Guest Voice)
It is a sunny morning in mid-April on Sicily’s east coast, and in the distance Mount Etna rises from a green-blue sea up through the olive groves to reach a snowy cone ringed by cotton ball clouds. In the center of this Mediterranean tableau, at the end of a long quay in the port of Augusta,… … [Read more...] about Migrants and the New Mediterranean Mafia (Guest Voice)
Politix Update: Contemplating The Nightmarish Scenario Of A Case Of Clinton Fatigue
There were 15 or so of us gathered around a large conference room table. It was a brilliantly sunny afternoon in the fall of 1996 and the Philadelphia Daily News editorial board was conducting yet another interview in the laborious election-year process of endorsing candidates. I happened to be sitting in because I was directing the paper's presidential campaign coverage and … [Read more...] about Politix Update: Contemplating The Nightmarish Scenario Of A Case Of Clinton Fatigue
Jeb Bush’s Truly Lousy Campaign Start
Right now Jeb Bush's campaign could be called the Dominoes campaign. Not as in Dominoes Pizza, although he has lots of dough. But as in collapsing dominoes. And let's just say that it now appears that if Jeb Bush gets that night call, it'd be a wrong number. The biggest question is: is Jeb Bush morphing into the 2015 Fred Thompson or Rudy Giuliani? What has become a trend is … [Read more...] about Jeb Bush’s Truly Lousy Campaign Start
Meaningless But Hopeful News For Sanders And O’Malley
This week has a lot of somewhat encouraging news, even if it all has zero predictive value. Bernie Sanders came unexpectedly close to Clinton in the Wisconsin straw poll. While straw polls are pretty much meaningless, as we saw with all those straw poll victories by fringe candidates like Ron Paul, it could be a sign of the enthusiasm for Sanders, which has also been seen … [Read more...] about Meaningless But Hopeful News For Sanders And O’Malley
Disneyland for Cheapskate Families
Here are some quick suggestions for any cheapskate families visiting Disneyland or California Adventure. 1. Never pay full price for tickets: You can buy your tickets ahead of time through ARES travel and save a few bucks on every ticket. 2. Bring snacks into the park: Although the Disney website usually says food is not to be brought into the park, they do not care … [Read more...] about Disneyland for Cheapskate Families
Cartoon: Disney outsourcing
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: Disney outsourcing
Time to Honor Two South Carolina Political Milestones (Guest Voice)
Time to Honor Two South Carolina Political Milestones by Jordan Cooper Raising a statue for the first Asian-American female governor in the Americas will be an exceptional example of how we as a state can acknowledge our climb to God's destiny. And we can bolster this honor by creating a statue for the first black to be a representative in both chambers of Congress. … [Read more...] about Time to Honor Two South Carolina Political Milestones (Guest Voice)