JUST when you thought President Obama’s situation couldn’t get any worse, from Moscow comes news of FSB, Federal Security Service, detaining an alleged American spy trying to recruit a Russian intelligence officer. The scandal erupts just before the upcoming international conference on Syria. “It clearly will have an effect on the talks. I don’t think [...]
IRS: “We should have done a better job”
Internal Revenue Service officials in Washington and at least two other offices were involved with investigating conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, making clear that the effort reached well beyond the branch in Cincinnati that was initially blamed, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. [Washington Post] WELL, ya think? The IRS admission is nothing [...]
Angelina Jolie’s Preventive Double Mastectomy
THIS is a sobering op-ed written by Angelina Jolie, a thoughtful actor and activist, with an incredibly supportive and loving partner, Brad Pitt. It was written to inform and share personally a choice that is difficult, radical and done in the hopes of ducking a fate of family genealogy. From the New York Times, Ms. [...]
Nawaz Sharif is Back in Pakistan
“The US will watch what Sharif does about extremists who threatened the election” – PJ Crowley A WHO will blink first situation over India and Kashmir caused Nawaz Sharif to be ousted from power through a military coup by Pervez Musharraf. Sharif is back, having won the Pakistan election, but what it will mean is [...]
Voters Trust Clinton on Benghazi Over Republicans
PPP’s newest national poll finds that Republicans aren’t getting much traction with their focus on Benghazi over the last week. Voters trust Hillary Clinton over Congressional Republicans on the issue of Benghazi by a 49/39 margin and Clinton’s +8 net favorability rating at 52/44 is identical to what it was on our last national poll [...]
Queer Talk: Minnesota Senate Approves Marriage Equality, Governor to Sign
As expected, and via the live feed at The Uptake, this afternoon the Minnesota Senate (37-30) joined the House (75 to 59) in approving marriage equality. Governor Mark Dayton has said he’ll sign tomorrow. Minnesota thus becomes the 12th state, plus the District of Columbia, to provide marriage equality. Same-sex couples can begin marrying in [...]
IRS Focus on Tea Party Patriots Un-American
**UPDATED** “The I.R.S. has demonstrated the most disturbing, illegal and outrageous abuse of government power,” Jenny Beth Martin, national coordinator for Tea Party Patriots, said in a statement. “This deliberate targeting and harassment of Tea Party groups reaches a new low in illegal government activity and overreach.” [New York Times] IS THERE anything more un-American [...]
Kermit Gosnell Found Guilty of First Degree Murder
IT was impossible to think of any other verdict for Kermit Gosnell, though as of this morning there was a hung jury on two counts. After being sent back to deliberate further, the jury reached a verdict. ABC News: Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell was found guilty today of first degree murder in three of [...]
Guns Don’t Kill Kids, Kids Kill Kids? [Video]
Reading “A Rifle Designed for Kids” at The Daily Banter made me wonder: Can the often used, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” line be reworded to reflect one subheading of such killing – “Guns don’t kill kids, kids kill kids”? That feels as if I may be going “too far,” that maybe it’s [...]
“24″ and Jack Bauer to Return
IT’S what many “24″ and Jack Bauer fans, including myself, were hoping. Keifer Sutherland has signed on to play Jack Bauer again! First reported by Deadline: Jack Bauer is back! I’ve learned that, after marathon negotiations, Kiefer Sutherland has closed a deal for a new installment of 24 on Fox. With him on board, I [...]
Black List “Rodham” Biopic Script Snippets
IF YOU haven’t heard, the Hollywood biopic “Rodham,” by South Korean screenwriter Young Il Kim, has raised a lot of interest in movie land. As people look to the potential 2016 candidacy of Hillary Rodham Clinton, her life as one of the many young lawyers involved in Nixon impeachment is the stuff of presidential biography. [...]
19 Wounded in Mother’s Day Shooting in New Orleans
IT’S unfathomable. A shooting during a Mother’s Day parade wounds 19 people, including children. You have to ask yourself what is it going to take before conservative senators in Congress send a message to people that America’s so-called “gun culture” doesn’t mean turn our cities into the wild west. From CNN: Abdul Aziz believes he [...]
Barbara Walters to Make it Official
IT WILL be made official today on “The View.” Barbara Walters, the first female anchorman in the television business, is retiring after 37 years, calling it a career. For Barbara Walters, it certainly has been quite a career. Over the next year she’ll be on the show she created, do prime-time news programs, as well [...]
Seth Meyers to NBC “Late Night”
THE NEWS was announced Sunday and it made me giddy. Seth Meyers gets the nod and will follow Jimmy Fallon, who’s going to “The Tonight Show” next February. It’s a knock out line up for NBC. Lorne Michaels is going to be a very busy man. From the New York Times: Mr. Meyers, the longtime [...]
Greg Hicks Gets Scrutiny, as Diplomats Evacuated from Libya
Growing concerns over protests roiling Libya prompted the State Department to begin evacuating some diplomats from Tripoli, as the Pentagon put troops stationed at nearby European bases on high alert. [Washington Post] YOU READ that correctly, amid the furor over the testimony of Greg Hicks, the Washington Post is reporting we’re evacuating some diplomats from [...]
Mothers, Caregivers, and Nurturers
GARDEN season is so much fun. It makes mothers out of us all. That Mother’s Day comes at the height of it seems fitting. Our pond this year is wonderful. The frogs survived winter, I’m happy to report. We’ve already started treating it to ward off mosquitos, but living so close to the Potomac River, [...]
Queer Talk: Full Equality is the Goal
Marriage equality is the current enormous focus of the bigger goal of full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and via TPM, one response from Thursday’s pro-marriage equality vote in Minnesota reveals something about why the goal of equality is broader than marriage. After the bill passed, state Rep. Peggy Scott (R) said: [...]
The Furor Over the Benghazi Talking Points Rewrite
**UPDATED** IT’S the obsessions of the week, the rewrites of the Benghazi talking points. It won’t keep another Benghazi style attack from happening again or keep our embassy personnel safer. It’s politics, just like when George W. Bush marketed his Iraq war campaign prior to the 2002 election. In a development that happened this afternoon, [...]
Prince Harry Sober and Clothed, Shock Horror
I caught part of the TV news this morning. That was a mistake. I hate the news, especially commercial TV news. Give me the BBC or PBS any day. Unfortunately it was CNN this morning, which was covering Prince Harry’s jaunt to America. I use the word jaunt as it seems to fit with the [...]
Joe Biden and Al Gore on KXL
VP Joe Biden (at Buzzfeed) and former VP Al Gore (at Price of Oil) have both recently opposed KXL, TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline. Biden’s comment was to a Sierra Club member on a ropeline in South Carolina. His office quickly said his position really hasn’t changed, and he awaits the results of the State Department [...]
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