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The Moderate Voice

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When murder is the end, not the means

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[icopyright one button toolbar] ISIS is no longer defined largely as militant group whose goal is to establish a caliphate -- using whatever means including cruelty, murder, and violence. The means are the end. Cruelty, murder and widespread violence are the end. Slaughter is the goal, George Packer writes. The very name of the self-proclaimed caliphate strikes … [Read more...] about When murder is the end, not the means

How grand is the Grand Budapest Hotel?

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[icopyright one button toolbar] I’ve had a funny relationship with Wes Anderson. I’ve always thought he was a talented film-maker but something always stopped me from falling head over heels. Truthfully… I never loved Rushmore – I know a lot of people who will look at me differently for saying that, but bar it’s soundtrack, I ‘meh’-ed it. The only film that hit its spot … [Read more...] about How grand is the Grand Budapest Hotel?

Should you shake hands with Thom Tillis?

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[icopyright one button toolbar] What a year this is proving to be -- and we're only into January. First, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindall talks about non-existent "no go zones" where non-Muslims can't enter. Then Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said most required vaccinations of kids should be voluntary and vaccines could lead to brain damage. And now you have North Carolina Republican … [Read more...] about Should you shake hands with Thom Tillis?

Bobby Jindal and the GOP’s No Go Zone

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[icopyright one button toolbar] And so another Republican politician, once viewed as a thoughtful leader and having national political potential, proves to be anything but. Is ivy leaguer Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal symbolic of what will make his party fail -- or, in our sound bite, snarky, 21st century America, succeed? Once upon a time this Rhodes scholar was … [Read more...] about Bobby Jindal and the GOP’s No Go Zone

Jordan Executes 2 Al Qaeda Prisoners To Avenge Pilot

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Jordan Executes 2 Al Qaeda Prisoners To Avenge Pilot UPDATE 10:30 p.m. EST: Jordan executed two al Qaeda prisoners just hours after vowing to avenge the death of a Jordania fighter pilot captured by the Islamic State Group and burned to death, the Associated Press reported. Jordan executed would-be suicide bomber Sajida Rishawi and jihadist Ziyad al-Karbouli at dawn. Jordanian … [Read more...] about Jordan Executes 2 Al Qaeda Prisoners To Avenge Pilot

Republican Groundhog Day

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[icopyright one button toolbar] Yesterday saw the 128th Groundhog Day festivities. Sun Prairie, Wis., mayor Jonathan Freund held up Jimmy the groundhog, after Jimmy had come out of his hole without seeing his shadow, thus predicting an early spring. Everything went according to legend, lore and tradition with the exception that Jimmy the groundhog decided to munch on … [Read more...] about Republican Groundhog Day

Don’t want to vaccinate your kids? Fine. Find another school (Guest Voice)

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Don't want to vaccinate your kids? Fine. Find another school On Monday, the measles outbreak officially came to Toronto. Public health officials announced that four people - two children and two adults - all of whom were unrelated, had tested positive. Three of the four people had not been vaccinated for measles, and the other had only had one of the requisite two doses of … [Read more...] about Don’t want to vaccinate your kids? Fine. Find another school (Guest Voice)

Jordanian Pilot’s Execution by ISIS Kept Secret For Weeks

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Pilot's Execution Kept Secret For Weeks Jordan confirmed Tuesday that the Islamic State group executed captured Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kaseasbeh, and said he was killed a month ago on Jan. 3. Multiple sources, some of them inside the de-facto Islamic State headquarters in Syria, had already reported that the 26-year-old lieutenant had been burned to death weeks before the … [Read more...] about Jordanian Pilot’s Execution by ISIS Kept Secret For Weeks

The Republicans Now Have A God Problem

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[icopyright one button toolbar] If you listen to Republicans, they are running to uphold moral values based upon Christianity. Many Republican candidates in the past have even claimed that god wanted them to run, and have cited god to justify their policies. Suddenly it is no longer the case that the Republicans are running on god’s platform. Amy Davidson looked at God and … [Read more...] about The Republicans Now Have A God Problem

Again, hypocrisy

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[icopyright one button toolbar] State taxpayers paid for Mr. Christie, his wife and two aides to travel to the 2013 Super Bowl in New Orleans, as New Jersey prepared to host the 2014 game. Airfare for four passengers came to $8,146; Mr. Christie’s hotel for three nights cost $3,371. He has fought to shield the cost of his travel. The Super Bowl expenses were revealed … [Read more...] about Again, hypocrisy

GOP Presidential Hopeful Rand Paul: Most Vaccinations Should Be Voluntary

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[icopyright one button toolbar] GOP presidential hopeful Sen. Rand Paul says parents own children and not the state, therefore vaccinations should be voluntary. How incredibly reckless for a doctor to make such a comment. As crazy as Sen. Rand Paul is, he seems to have outdone himself this time: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) doubled down on his position that most vaccines … [Read more...] about GOP Presidential Hopeful Rand Paul: Most Vaccinations Should Be Voluntary

TMV @ Sundance – Stockholm, Pennsylvania

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2/5[icopyright one button toolbar] As a filmgoer, amidst the bilge and what occasionally seems like malicious excruciation, the movies that cause the most heartache are not the total disasters but the failures that so clearly should have hit the ground running. Nothing is more painful than wanting to embrace a film more than it allows me to, and rarely are there clearer cases … [Read more...] about TMV @ Sundance – Stockholm, Pennsylvania

Christie breaks with Obama on vaccines, says parents should weigh options

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CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND — Just as Gov. Chris Christie criticized President Barack Obama for being an ineffective negotiator on the world stage, Christie broke from the president on whether children should be vaccinated. The governor called for "a balance" between the government and a parent's right to choose whether a child is vaccinated. Christie said his four… … [Read more...] about Christie breaks with Obama on vaccines, says parents should weigh options