On a day when yet another ISIS brutality is pitchforked into the headlines -- this time news that the terrorist group issued a new video showing the beading and shooting of nearly 30 Christians in Ethiopia who wouldn't convert -- a new report gives further evidence of the unintended consquences of the Bush-Cheney administration. An Iraqi officer who was one of many in the Iraqi … [Read more...] about (Another) Bush-Cheney Consquence: Fired Iraqi Officer Under Saddam Masterminded The Rise Of ISIS, Reports Spiegel
Marijuana, Needle Exchange Programs, And Clinton’s Cultural Conservatism
Following recent posts about Lincoln Chafee talking about running for the Democratic nomination I began looking to see if there are any other issues where the two have major differences besides Clinton's support for the Iraq war, which he has been attacking Hillary Clinton on. I was pleased to see that back in 2011 Chaffee called for a reclassification of medical marijuana from … [Read more...] about Marijuana, Needle Exchange Programs, And Clinton’s Cultural Conservatism
700 African Migrants Believed Dead after Boat Capsizes
Some 700 African migrants are feared dead on Sunday, after their boat capsized off the coast of Libya in the Mediterranean Sea. Declared an emergency at around midnight, the ship is believed to have started capsizing when migrants aboard all moved to one side of the ship, as a merchant vessel approached. Only twenty-eight people have… … [Read more...] about 700 African Migrants Believed Dead after Boat Capsizes
A Review of Death Cab for Cutie’s Kintsugi: A Beautiful Reformation of Life’s Shards
Death Cab For Cutie’s new album Kintsugi is more Death than Cutie, but it still has plenty of Cab to make it a worthwhile journey. The album’s title, Kintsugi, comes from the Japanese art of repairing or transforming broken pottery with gold, silver or platinum lacquer. Instead of hiding the breakage lines of the pot, the gold, silver and platinum threads highlight the cracks … [Read more...] about A Review of Death Cab for Cutie’s Kintsugi: A Beautiful Reformation of Life’s Shards
Report Clinton To Oppose Iran Deal & The Politics Of Tipping
The Hill is running a story that major Clinton contributor Haim Saban is hinting that Hillary Clinton will come out against the Iran deal. Clinton was often more hawkish than others in the Obama administration, and had criticized Obama for his plans to negotiate with Iran during the 2008 campaign. She had claimed that the United States could "totally obliterate" … [Read more...] about Report Clinton To Oppose Iran Deal & The Politics Of Tipping
UPDATE: A Former, and Possibly Future, First Daughter’s Role in Her Mother’s White House Bid
[icopyright one button toolbar] UPDATE: Interesting piece by Maureen Dowd in the Sunday New York Times, highlighting the competing forces and impulses a woman running for the highest office in the land -- to date always occupied by a man -- feels and has. Dowd: “The most famous woman on the planet has a confounding problem. She can’t figure out how to campaign as a … [Read more...] about UPDATE: A Former, and Possibly Future, First Daughter’s Role in Her Mother’s White House Bid
‘Love hormone’ helps pet bonding
The "love hormone" that secures the bond between a woman and her newborn baby is also involved in bonding between dogs and their owners, scientists have found. Researchers in Japan have found that oxytocin, the hormone released into the bloodstream by women after childbirth and babies during breast-feeding, also increases in dogs and their owners after… … [Read more...] about ‘Love hormone’ helps pet bonding
Chris Christie Has Gone to Pot (Guest Voice)
Chris Christie Has Gone to Pot By Dick Polman Amidst all the early GOP presidential jockeying, let's check on our Jersey boy Chris Christie. Looks like the tough-love guv surfaced this week on a radio show and ranted about reefer madness. "Right now, we've got the states of Colorado and Washington (defying) federal law by allowing people to sell dope legally," said host … [Read more...] about Chris Christie Has Gone to Pot (Guest Voice)
Cartoon: Bill and Hillary
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: Bill and Hillary
Jeb’s ambition? Be like W. …only more so.
Lots more war along with more strong-arming -- what this Republican candidate calls "American leadership." If Jeb Bush is elected president, the United States won’t be on speaking terms with Cuba and will partner more closely with Israel. He’ll tighten sanctions on Iran and urge NATO to deploy more troops in Eastern Europe to counter Vladimir Putin. And he’ll order the … [Read more...] about Jeb’s ambition? Be like W. …only more so.
How ‘Liberal Hollywood’ Raised Money For GOP
After the Republicans took over the House of Representatives in 2010, Hollywood bigwigs, often stereotyped as liberals, adapted. In order to build clout with the new Congress to help ensure favorable legislation, the entertainment industry started moving its money to Republicans. The Wall Street Journal chronicled this major shift last year. Now, emails from executives at… … [Read more...] about How ‘Liberal Hollywood’ Raised Money For GOP
Weekend Images
[icopyright one button toolbar] The last thing I want to do is usurp Ron Beasley’s traditional posting of beautiful photography, but just wanted to post a "Texas couple" of photographs. One of them, the lead photo, is to brag about my grandson’s photography talents. He took that one at a nearby golf course at sunset. We had gone out to photograph some bluebonnet fields … [Read more...] about Weekend Images
Martin O’Malley Scores Point Against Clinton On Same-Sex Marriage
"History celebrates profiles in courage, not profiles in convenience." Martin O'Malley has demonstrated the benefits of having a liberal in the race to compete with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. He has been jabbing Clinton while campaigning in Iowa over her position that same-sex marriage should be decided by the states. O'Malley has been arguing in Iowa that … [Read more...] about Martin O’Malley Scores Point Against Clinton On Same-Sex Marriage
‘Learning from the Holocaust: Choosing to Act’
[icopyright one button toolbar] While yesterday, April 16, was the official 2015 Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Week of Remembrance runs from the Sunday before Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah) through the following Sunday -- this year April 12-19. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has designated this year’s theme as “Learning from the Holocaust: Choosing to … [Read more...] about ‘Learning from the Holocaust: Choosing to Act’
Sick and Tired Workers: An Epidemic of Corporate Greed
Snaking its way through the Pennsylvania legislature is a bill that will block local governments from requiring companies to provide sick leave, even if unpaid, that is more than required by state or federal regulations. There are no Pennsylvania or federal regulations requiring companies to provide sick leave. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 39 percent of all … [Read more...] about Sick and Tired Workers: An Epidemic of Corporate Greed
Mike Peters Guest Cartoon: Capitol Air Security
Capitol Air Security by Mike Peters OF RELATED INTEREST: --Protesting mailman lands helicopter on Capitol lawn --Homeland Security chief: Capitol gyrocopter 'literally flew under the radar' --The Tampa Bay Times should have alerted authorities earlier --Aviation experts explain why Capitol gyrocopter wasn't shot down (w/video) Mike Peters is recognized as one of … [Read more...] about Mike Peters Guest Cartoon: Capitol Air Security
Five Strange Facts About Charlie Chaplin
Slapstick comedy and silent film superstar Charlie Chaplin would have been 116 years old today. Though he’s best remembered for his contributions to silent film, in classics like The Kid (1921) and City Lights (1931), The Tramp’s real life was just as entertaining—and twice as strange. 1. He got his start in a clog-dancing troupe. Before… … [Read more...] about Five Strange Facts About Charlie Chaplin
Pop goes the Democratic Party
Pop goes the Democratic Party by Dana Milbank Washington Post Writers Group WASHINGTON -- It was another one of those rallies on Capitol Hill where lawmakers line up to take shots at the Obama administration. But this time the lawmakers were all Democrats. A quartet of senators and a dozen members of the House took the stage in a park across from the … [Read more...] about Pop goes the Democratic Party
George W. Bush is Jeb Bush’s Biggest Liability in Quest for White House
Former president George W. Bush admitted what most of us knew was true of his brother, Jeb Bush, that he has a "me" problem. Yep, he is tied to his sibling in every way possible. Babara Bush called it right the first time when she was adamant against another Bush in the White House. “It’s an easy line to say, ‘Haven’t we had enough Bushes?’ After all, even my mother said, … [Read more...] about George W. Bush is Jeb Bush’s Biggest Liability in Quest for White House
Holocaust Remembrance Day
This year’s Holocaust Remembrance Day Observance comes on the heels of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, (January 27, 2015) and, once again, the world will be listening to the voices of Auschwitz and of so many other death camps. So much has been written about the Holocaust in the past and … [Read more...] about Holocaust Remembrance Day