[icopyright one button toolbar] Escaping to somewhere else is a motif in many human lives. Kids dream of escaping childhood, then finally become adults, and spending their adulthood wishing they could escape to times when they were kids dreaming of escaping childhood. I know of many people in my old hometown of New Haven who dreamed of escaping Connecticut to be in huge big … [Read more...] about BOOK REVIEW: Escape to Anywhere Else by Robert Rippberger
(Update) Slinking Out of Afghanistan?
[icopyright one button toolbar] UPDATE: Read the touching reflections on the end of our mission in Afghanistan by a person who was in Helmand, here. Ryan Evans quotes an Afghan farmer, “There was war before the foreign troops arrived, there was war while they were here, and there will be war after they leave” and concludes: Helmand is where I came to know the … [Read more...] about (Update) Slinking Out of Afghanistan?
Partisanship, For Lack of a Better Word, is Good
Partisanship, For Lack of a Better Word, is Good By Jason Stanford Partisanship, for lack of a better word, is good. You won't find a more unexamined assumption in America today than a sneering contempt for partisanship. Yet partisanship persists, an evolutionary fact of life in our democracy because it is an ineffable expression of the American experiment. Partisanship … [Read more...] about Partisanship, For Lack of a Better Word, is Good
Why Are We Voting Today ?
As we all head to the polls, I thought it might be interesting to review exactly why we are voting today. By that I mean, why is it that our national elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November ? Well, it may interest you to know that, for the first 50 plus years of our nation, there was no uniform Election Day. The only requirement with … [Read more...] about Why Are We Voting Today ?
Our do-nothing politics
WASHINGTON -- The crisis in our political system is less about party than about horizon. To understand why, consider the issue of climate change. There is clear evidence -- presented yet again in a new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report -- that human activity is altering the climate. Global temperatures are rising. Emissions of carbon dioxide and other … [Read more...] about Our do-nothing politics
Georgia voters have clear choice: good ol’ boy politics or new slate
Georgia voters have the power to kick corruption in the face in two key, statewide races on Tuesday. We tend to talk about political corruption as the triad of bribery, cronyism and nepotism. In this age of Citizens United, I'm adding deliberate misrepresentation in media. [icopyright one button toolbar] [stumble] Deal v Carter In 2010, the U.S. Representative Nathan Deal … [Read more...] about Georgia voters have clear choice: good ol’ boy politics or new slate
U.S. Midterms: Obama Weakened When World Needs America Most (Le Monde, France)
President Obama is facing a 'thumping' as President Bush called his public rejoinder after the 2006 midterm elections. Unlike Bush, though, President Obama is judged to be not only weak and ineffective at home, but ineffective and indecisive abroad. For Le Monde, journalist Dominique Simonnet and historian Nicole Bacharan outline the danger to the West and the world when an … [Read more...] about U.S. Midterms: Obama Weakened When World Needs America Most (Le Monde, France)
Brittany Maynard Showed Us Death With Dignity Gives Patients A Voice [VIDEO]
Brittany Maynard, the voice of the right-to-die movement, passed away on Saturday in the manner that she wanted to: “peacefully in her bedroom, in the arms of her loved ones.” Maynard’s choice to take her own life after being diagnosed with brain cancer at the beginning of this year was authorized under the Oregon Death With… … [Read more...] about Brittany Maynard Showed Us Death With Dignity Gives Patients A Voice [VIDEO]
Senate Trivia
Here is a nerdy little factoid about the Senate elections tomorrow: As best as I can tell there are currently 3 US Senate seats with a perfect partisan record in popular elections. That is to say since popular elections for Senators began 100 yrs ago they have elected the same party every time (in all 3 cases Democrats) All 3 of those seats are up tomorrow One is … [Read more...] about Senate Trivia
Senate Scenario
Here is something fun to ponder In the race for the US Senate it is entirely plausible that we could end up on Monday morning with the race tied 49-49 with 2 seats undecided Both Louisiana and Georgia require 50% majority or there is a runoff Louisiana's would be in December. Georgia's would not be until January 6th (a special day indeed). Imagine the GOP wins … [Read more...] about Senate Scenario
Ted Cruz plans to lead the Republican Senate
You can forget about Mitch McConnell. Ted Cruz has plans to take over... if the Republicans win their Senate majority. After a spell of cooperating with his party during the campaign season, the Post reports, he will elbow his way into de facto leadership. In an interview at the Hotel Captain Cook here between campaign stops for Sullivan, Cruz made it clear he would … [Read more...] about Ted Cruz plans to lead the Republican Senate
Trust and the Democratic Process
It is worthwhile giving some thought to the role that trust plays in a democracy. Ideally, democracy can be defined as a form of government where all eligible voters have an equal say in determining policy, how they will be governed, and the laws that will be enacted, with the will of the majority being followed. In addition, the rights of minorities will be protected. America … [Read more...] about Trust and the Democratic Process
No alternative to hope
WASHINGTON -- President Obama has always had a thing about hope as an antidote to cynicism. The speech that made him a national figure, his keynote at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, is best known for his declaration that "there's not a liberal America and a conservative America, there's the United States of America." In light of what's happened since, you want … [Read more...] about No alternative to hope
Despite Pennsylvania Cop Killer’s Capture, A Very Big Question Remains
The surrender of cop killer Eric Frein on Thursday after an excruciating 48-day manhunt in the dense woodlands of the Pennsylvania Poconos is not the end of the story. It is the end of the prologue to a very big question that demands to be asked -- and answered: What prompted this wily survivalist to shoot dead a particular state trooper and critically wound another? To … [Read more...] about Despite Pennsylvania Cop Killer’s Capture, A Very Big Question Remains
A history lesson for Tom Cotton (and voters in Arkansas)
As campaign whoppers go, it wins the most chutzpah award. When President Obama hijacked the farm bill, turned it into a food stamp bill... I voted no. [icopyright one button toolbar] That's U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton (R) talking, and he's running for U.S. Senate against incumbent Mark Pryor (D). When this campaign ad was released in September, fact checkers came down … [Read more...] about A history lesson for Tom Cotton (and voters in Arkansas)
SciFi Weekend: Doctor Who; Benedict Cumberbatch on Sherlock and Sex; Agents of SHIELD; Agent Carter; Gotham; Arrow; The Flash; 12 Monkeys; Billy Bob Thornton and Other Sitcom News; Crash of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo
Black Water is so far likely to be the most memorable episode of this season of Doctor Who, but any such judgment will be influenced by the second part of the story, Death in Heaven. It is difficult to review the first episode of a two-part story as when an interesting idea in genre is raised we never know how well the story will play out. Of course this could also be said of … [Read more...] about SciFi Weekend: Doctor Who; Benedict Cumberbatch on Sherlock and Sex; Agents of SHIELD; Agent Carter; Gotham; Arrow; The Flash; 12 Monkeys; Billy Bob Thornton and Other Sitcom News; Crash of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo
RIP Brittany Maynard
Terminally Ill Woman Brittany Maynard Has Ended Her Own Life. Brittany Maynard, who became the public face of the controversial right-to-die movement over the last few weeks, ended her own life Saturday at her home in Portland, Oregon. She was 29. If you don't believe in it that's fine but don't try to force your mythology on others. I live in the Portland area and am … [Read more...] about RIP Brittany Maynard
Rand Paul is right and wrong (Guest Voice)
Rand Paul is right and wrong By Richard K. Barry Senator Rand Paul says the Republican brand sucks, and because I don't like to disagree with the Senator, I won't. I will, however, take issue with his understanding of history. “Remember Domino’s Pizza? They admitted, ‘Hey, our pizza crust sucks.’ The Republican Party brand sucks and so people don’t want to be a … [Read more...] about Rand Paul is right and wrong (Guest Voice)
Republicans Have Slight, But Not Insurmountable, Lead Prior To Midterms
The final weekend before the midterm elections the race to control the Senate remains close enough that either party can still win. The Republicans have an edge, but certainly not an insurmountable one. Looking at the most recent polls. electoral-vote.com has the Republicans with 51 seats. This means that the Democrats would only have to win in one state where they are behind … [Read more...] about Republicans Have Slight, But Not Insurmountable, Lead Prior To Midterms
’30 Years in the Making’: Volunteers Walk San Diego’s New Asian District 6, Urge Asian Vote
’30 Years in the Making': Volunteers Walk San Diego's New Asian District 6, Urge Asian Vote by Alexander Nguyen SAN DIEGO, California -- On a cold, stormy Saturday in Mira Mesa, at least 40 volunteers with door hangers and other materials sought to increase the turnout among Asian-American voters in the upcoming election. The so-called Super Walk get-out-the-vote … [Read more...] about ’30 Years in the Making’: Volunteers Walk San Diego’s New Asian District 6, Urge Asian Vote