tagged w/ political opinion
-
Statement of the Italian platformist FdCA on work in trade unions.
-
-
Senator Gillibrand and why she should be fired.
-
-
The provision was known as the Bo-TAX and it aroused a unified response from the medical community in general and organized medicine in particular. In place of that proposal, a new tax on tanning salons has been included in the bill. Finally, Congress passes an intelligent bill and the media reports criticism and derision from the perpetrators instead of congratulating legislators who have a dismal record of responsible health care legislation in the first year of the Obama administration.The provision was known as the Bo-TAX and it aroused a unified response from the... more
-
-
-
The George W. Bush and Dick Cheney love story officially began in 2000 when Cheney was asked by Bush to be his running mate in the 2000 U.S. Elections. Cheney had previously served under GW's father, Bush senior as the secretary of defense and had been long time friend of his family. Cheney was definitely not a stranger to the White house or the Bush family.The George W. Bush and Dick Cheney love story officially began in 2000 when Cheney was... more
-
-
A certain amount of paranoia is a good thing in American politics. But taken to excess, it causes the rest of us to suffer.A certain amount of paranoia is a good thing in American politics. But taken to... more
-
-
Obama will not be deterred by critics on the right.
-
-
Obama's harshest critics are calling his battle over healthcare all but lost. But Obama will stand undaunted.Obama's harshest critics are calling his battle over healthcare all but lost.... more
-
-
Somalia is in the news, once again, for all the wrong reasons. And thanks to the ‘Pirates of the Horn of Africa’ there is a flurry of activity everywhere.Somalia is in the news, once again, for all the wrong reasons. And thanks to the... more
-
-
Mohib
-
added this
-
3 years ago
- |
-
Let's do our best to help Joe Biden, and to do this, let's start at the beginning. I have two questions for you: Do you consider yourself to be "Middle Class"? If so, what is "Middle Class" in America?Let's do our best to help Joe Biden, and to do this, let's start at the... more
-
-
Whew! What a rollercoaster ride the House and Senate versions of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 have been in recent weeks. “There’s too much pork and not enough tax cuts!” we hear from GOP members. And from the left come reprisals of “You’re hardly in a position to point fingers when it comes to overspending” and “Haven’t the last eight years demonstrated well enough that tax cuts don’t work?” Both sides claim to be pushing for jobs creation and yet have different opinions on what constitutes “jobs.”
Proponents of Education have watched the sparring with wringing hands and petitions flying as spending on Education got whacked, and then replaced, then whacked again and now half remains on the cutting room floor waiting for the two houses of government to meld their tentatively approved plans together into something the President can sign.Whew! What a rollercoaster ride the House and Senate versions of the American Recovery... more
-
-
Nova Southeastern University's Distinguished Speaker Series in Davie, FL hosted Jack Kevorkian on February 5th at 7:00 PM. Formerly known as "Dr. Death" and recently released from prison where he served eight years for his part in an assisted suicide that was broadcast on national news showing him pushing the button that administered the lethal dose, Kevorkian has not lost his controversial spark.
The majority of the lecture was rambling and broken with "senior moments" by Kevorkian who occasionally lost his train of thought and some listeners left before the end. For those who left early, they missed the highlight of the evening; the switching of our traditional American Flag for one with the stars replaced with a swastika which Kevorkian claims was a representation image of what the United States is becoming. Gasps of shock erupted from the crowd of 2500 attendees.
One professional photographer located down front momentarily lost his professionalism and composure and assaulted the elderly and feeble Kevorkian with a litany of verbal attacks. First he shouted, "I hope you use your machine on yourself!" followed by "that is an image of DEATH!" Kevorkian replied, "but this is what we are becoming!"
Audience members watched in both amusement and shock as Kevorkian and this photographer (identity unknown) engaged in a verbal confrontation over Kevorkian's controversial method of conveying his message about the steady loss of freedoms and self-determination in this country over the course of his lifetime.
This reporter can only close with, "An interesting time was had by all....except of course for those who chose to cut out early because they couldn't suffer the ramblings of an old man beaten by the system....or is he?"Nova Southeastern University's Distinguished Speaker Series in Davie, FL hosted... more
-
-
People who startle easily in response to threatening images or loud sounds seem to have a biological predisposition to adopt conservative political positions on many hot-button issues, according to unusual new research published yesterday.
The finding suggests that people who are particularly sensitive to signals of visual or auditory threats also tend to adopt a more defensive stance on political issues, such as immigration, gun control, defense spending and patriotism. People who are less sensitive to potential threats, by contrast, seem predisposed to hold more liberal positions on those issues.
People who startle easily in response to threatening images or loud sounds seem to... more
-
-
by Nicole
Over the weekend I just finished reading Josephine Tey's classic mystery The Daughter of Time, which reexamines the evidence surrounding the disappearance of the Princes In The Tower. Whether the culprit was Richard III (the last Plantagenet king), whom traditionalists hold accountable, or Henry VII (father of Henry VIII), whom Tey and many modern historians think most likely responsible for the murder of the young heirs to the English throne, the similarities between Henry VII and George W. Bush couldn't escape my notice.
Both usurpers to the throne came to power under highly dubious circumstances. Bush thanks to some election jiggery-pokery; the first of the Tudor kings with the help of power-hungry factions of the English nobility who colluded with the French.
Both had to look to the law to ratify their newly seized seats of power. Bush via some friendly Supreme Court judges; Tudor via some questionable acts of a conspiratorial Parliament.
Both have bent the law for their own gain. Tudor by retroactively declaring himself king from the day before the battle in which he took Richard III's life and crown, thus ensuring that anyone who fought against him was by default guilty of treason (which was punishable by death). As for Bush, where do I start?
Both are masters of Morton's Fork, a paradoxical form of reasoning, whereby a choice between two alternate options ultimately leads to the same unpleasant conclusion:
Henry VII: If a subject lived in luxury, they could clearly afford to pay tax. Conversely, if a subject lived frugally, it was a sign they were hoarding their wealth and could therefore also afford to pay tax.
Bush: If Saddam Hussein refused to let the weapons inspectors into Iraq, it would serve as proof that the Iraqi dictator had weapons of mass destruction, and would be considered grounds for war. If Hussein cooperated with the weapons inspectors, and no WMDs were found, it would serve as proof that he was hiding them, and it would be considered grounds for war.
Both were masters of manipulating the law of the land for their own political gain. Tudor created the Star Chamber, a conclave of Privy Counsellors whose rule was essentially above the law, while Bush created an ever-expanding concept of Executive Privilege.
Finally, both were masters at revising, and rewriting their own self-serving histories in their own lifetimes:
Henry VII
Reason For War Version 1:0 The Princes in Tower, and therefore their sister Elizabeth of York, were illegitimate and had no claim to the throne.
Reason For War Version 2:0 Elizabeth of York, who was now Henry's wife, was a legitimate heir (as were The Princes In The Tower if they lived), and therefore as her husband he was the legitimate King of England.
Bush:
Reason For War Version 1.0 We invaded Iraq because Hussein was responsible for 9/11.
Reason For War Version 2.0 We invaded Iraq because of WMDs.
Reason For War Version 3.0 We invaded Iraq to bring freedom to the country.
Ultimately it's taken historians five hundred years begin to see through the (Thomas More constructed) pro-Tudor Tonypandy (faulty collective memory or popular history). In 2508 will school kids be reading about Hussein’s WMDs and personal involvement in 9/11? Lets hope the historians who chronicle Bush's reign are less biased and see through his contemporary attempt at Tonypandy before putting pen to paper. In the meantime, don’t believe everything your history teachers told you (or Shakespeare or Showtime for that matter).
by Nicole
Over the weekend I just finished reading Josephine Tey's classic... more
-
-
by Nicole
This is definitely the way to go. Instead of waiting nervously for his skeletons to fall out of the closet one by one, the newly appointed New York Governor David Paterson, who replaced his disgraced colleague Eliot Spitzer, took the bull by the horns and confessed all just hours after taking office.
After rumors of infidelity surfaced, Paterson and his wife Michelle admitted they had both had affairs during a rocky period in their marriage in a joint interview with New York's Daily News on Monday. The pair then faced reporters together at a news conference held this morning in the Capitol's Red Room.
"I didn't want to be compromised, I didn't want to be blackmailed, I didn't want to hesitate taking an action because the person on the other end might hurt me or my family. I just thought this was the time to come forward and reveal this," Paterson told reporters.
Perhaps this may serve as a new model, with politicians and statesmen confessing all before they take office (which Paterson didn't strictly do, but it's not like he got to pick his timing here) so they can get on with the important work at hand unfettered by sins of the past. After all, public officials only become truly accountable to us at the point that they begin their public service (or, if elected, start campaigning for office), and some of the best and brightest hopes are surely likely, at the very least, to have follies of youth buried in their past.
What are mistakes but opportunities to learn and grow? We, in turn, should learn to be more pragmatic about sin. To quote the big J.C., "let he who is without sin cast the first stone." If we allow our politicians to admit to more mistakes without fear of hysterical or over zealous judgment, we also allow them to better serve us. So let's be grown-ups about this, and get such compromising information out in the open where it is rendered benign. This has to be a more evolved policy than our current one, where the cardinal sin is getting caught.
It's at this point I'd like to give Obama the opportunity to hit the public confessional. McCain and Clinton have been in public service so long that their dirty laundry is by now well aired, but the press have only just started digging into the life of the new kid on the block.
If Obama does indeed win the Democratic candidacy, as it very much looks like he might, it'd be sad if the Republican's won the election by default were an unrecoverable scandal to break closer to November. The tenet of public service is to put those you serve above yourself (and your own career prospects). I'm therefore urging you, Obama, if you have anything you're hiding, whether it be financial or sexual impropriety, or something that could appear as such, to take a leaf out of Paterson's playbook and get it out there now. Your best shield in the upcoming battle is the truth.
http://www.dailymantra.com
by Nicole
This is definitely the way to go. Instead of waiting nervously for his... more
-
-
by Nicole
Controversial conservative talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger has scored yet another own goal for women, this time blaming Eliot Spitzer's wife for her husband's infidelity during an appearance on the Today Show.
"Men do need validation," said Schlessinger, during a panel discussion lead by Meredith Vieira on the sex scandal. "When they come into the world they're born of a woman. Getting the validation from mommy is the beginning of needing it from a woman. When the wife does not focus in on the needs and the feelings sexually, personally, to make him feel like a man, to make him feel like a success, to make him feel like our hero, he's very susceptible to the charm of some other woman making him feel what he needs. These days, women don't spend a lot of time thinking about how they can give their men what they need."
Vieira then asked, "Are you saying women should feel guilty, like they somehow drove the man to cheat?" Schlessinger responded by saying, "You know what, the cheating was his decision to repair what's damaged, and to feed himself where he's starving. But, yes, I hold women accountable for tossing out perfectly good men by not treating them with the love and kindness and respect and attention they need."
It's this kind of fuzzy logic that's making it so tough for Hillary to move beyond the kitchen in the White House. Too man people still blame the presidential hopeful for her husband's infidelity. Again, the Daily Mantra asks, on what planet is this OK?
http://www.dailymantra.com
by Nicole
Controversial conservative talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger has scored... more
-
-
Ausama, Saif and Adel learn how to shoot, film that is. In this Hometown Baghdad pod we see just how powerful a camera can be to these three young men. With little experience or instruction they are able to capture some very compelling video without having to go outside. Hopefully for Ausama, Saif and Adel the camera is mightier than bombs.Ausama, Saif and Adel learn how to shoot, film that is. In this Hometown Baghdad pod... more
-
