It’s easy and perversely comforting to think of the world as bipolar. Good vs. Evil. Communist vs. Capitalist. Democratic vs. Autocratic. USA vs. Russia. But the world isn’t so simple (despite what John McCain may think).
Despite whatever comfort simplified labels give us, Russia is not an evil imperial power hellbent on invading all of Europe. [...]
I just don’t get it. I figured as a society we accepted, if not universally loved, over-the-top comedies. I don’t remember a big stir when Not Another Teen Movie hit theaters. Hell, there will soon be a fifth Scary Movie.
When I read that activist groups were “asking movie theaters and moviegoers to shut [Tropic Thunder] [...]
Remember back in 2006 when Israel invaded Lebanon because of a border skirmish? Back then, the international community condemned Israel for their disproportionate military response.
This was what George Bush had to say back then:
The recent crisis in the region was triggered by the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by the terrorist group Hezbollah and the launch [...]
The Bush administration has been shameless when it comes to naming their programs and policies. The PATRIOT Act destroys civil liberties, the Clear Skies Initiative reduces air pollution controls, Operation Iraqi Freedom put Iraqis under US military control, etc.
We’ve long needed a guide to these insults to language and logic, and Spencer Ackerman’s Iraq Euphemism [...]
From the New York Times:
“The Iraqi government now has tens of billions of dollars at its disposal to fund large scale reconstruction projects,” said Mr. Levin, who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in the statement. “It is inexcusable for U.S. taxpayers to continue to foot the bill for projects the Iraqis are [...]
Just in case you missed this, it’s astonishing:
I don’t even know how to comment on this one.
General Motors, the American car manufacturing giant, recently announced a second quarter loss of $15.5 billion. Sales of cars and light trucks dropped 29% at Chrysler (Dodge), 26% at GM, 15% at Ford.
I guess folks aren’t too keen on buying gas guzzling monstrosities when gas prices are rising rapidly. This is bad news for American [...]
…this is not the middle east; this is not the middle ages. This is a free society. And in a free society, there exists no right to not be offended. If the Catholic church can get away with desecrating what others consider sacred (or, for those of us who have no concept of sacredness, at [...]
Next year the United States will run a budget deficit of $490 billion. That will bring total US debt to $10 trillion. (Thanks China!)
Then there’s this fun news (@ Ezra Klein):
In a new sign of increasing inequality in the U.S., the richest 1% of Americans in 2006 garnered the highest share of the nation’s adjusted [...]
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Check out McCain’s new ad where he blasts Obama for not visiting wounded troops during his overseas trip:
This ad is not only riddled with shameless falsehoods, it’s a sign that McCain is trying to shift the debate away from the issues.
I’m not sure why, but this ad just makes me mad. After eight years [...]