There’s usually not too much going on around here on weekends, but for those who are checking in, I thought I’d start a little Sunday Discussion Group. I’ll come up with a topic that might be half-way interesting; you guys talk about what you think. The inaugural topic: Best Fictional President. Which president from the […]
Guest Post by Morbo A committee of the Kansas State Board of Education recently wrapped up a three-day trial of the theory of evolution. A lawyer defended evolution, while another attacked it. I am not making this up. It actually happened. You can read about in newspapers. Why were lawyers doing this instead of, say, […]
Guest Post by Morbo Nicholas von Hoffman of the New York Observer is one of those guys who deliberately writes over-the-top stuff to get people worked up. It’s a fun formula that usually provides a good read. Von Hoffman’s column this week is an inflammatory screed calling on all heathens to rise up against their […]
Guest Post by Morbo Standardized testing has become an obsession in public education, thanks in part to President George W. Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” law. That law requires states that accept federal money for education — and they all do — to impose various types of standardized tests on the students. The idea is […]
I just received word from a reliable source about a story that’s too funny not to share. Apparently, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist swung by an Allen-Edmonds shoe store today, and like many working families in Tennessee do all the time, picked up two pairs of shoes totaling $530. What he didn’t realize, however, was […]
I don’t know when (or if) it’ll be a available to non-subscribers, but Franklin Foer had a terrific item in the current issue of The New Republic about how lobbyist Jack Abramoff not only corrupted Tom DeLay, but ruined the entire conservative movement. There’s a lot of substance in the piece, but there’s one element […]
Tom DeLay’s ethical transgressions are serious enough to wonder whether he’ll be able to keep his job, but let’s not forget that he’s hardly the only one under a cloud of corruption charges. Consider, for example, House Administration Committee Chairman Bob Ney (R-Ohio). The Washington Post reported a couple of weeks ago that Ney, who […]
A few months ago, Salon had a report that was almost too ridiculous to believe. Many wounded U.S. soldiers, getting treatment at military hospitals, were getting forced to pay for their meals. Most patients at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington have a lot on their minds: the war they just fought, the […]
There’s hardly any point anymore in noting the polls showing the lack of support for Bush’s Social Security scheme. After a while, it becomes repetitious — the public hates the plan and every poll proves it. The latest Harris poll offers similar data — 59% disapprove of Bush’s handling of Social Security, only 34% approve […]
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * Rep. Jim Davis’ gubernatorial campaign in Florida got a big boost yesterday when former Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) threw his support behind Davis. Though Graham has stayed neutral in previous Dem primaries […]