ARE THE US-IRAN TALKS GOING TO MAKE IT?

There’s a chance that an agreement can be reached between the US and Iran about the latter’s nuclear program, but any successful negotiation will obviously depend on how far-reaching the demands are. And that’s why I’m afraid negotiations will ultimately fail. Cast aside the conspiracy theorist’s argument for a moment about Iran’s place […]

ONE MORE POINT ABOUT BARILLA

I used Tumblr last night to cover Barilla Pasta CEO Guido Barilla’s comments about gays, but I wanted to revisit the topic to cover the weird point he tried to make in his apology: With reference to statements made yesterday, I apologize if my words have generated controversy or misunderstanding, or if they have hurt […]

THE COST OF ZAPPING POVERTY IN AMERICA

The American Prospect published a debate-sparking article when it said that bringing every American above the poverty line would cost $175 billion, or 1 percent of the US Gross Domestic Product. We’re not talking about a lot of loot when you keep in mind that the US will spend $4 to $6 trillion […]

OBAMA SAID WHAT?

President Obama’s speech to the UN General Assembly is possibly the most gangsta prose ever uttered by a sitting American President. In the President’s own words, but with my added emphasis: let me take this opportunity to outline what has been U.S. policy towards the Middle East and North Africa, and what will be […]

WHAT I DON’T LIKE ABOUT OBAMACARE

I’ll first tell you what I like about Obamacare. It’s a start, I suppose… It will cover additional uninsured people. It makes an effort to reduce the deficit by forcing down health care costs. On the last point, I’m not certain if that vector is sustainable… There are two things at battle in my […]

WE’RE CUTTING YOUR FOOD, B***HES. NOW WORK

US Congress voting to cut the food stamps program under the disingenuous title of Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act is not only heartless, but dumb. “Work Opportunity” is a real laugher since Congress has proven during the past half-decade it doesn’t know how create a job. But they now created a magical […]

INVISIBLE MAN…BANNED…IN AMERICA?

First, we had the Texas school system moving to strike the term “Transatlantic Slave Trade” from history textbooks. And now the Randolph County, North Carolina school board bans Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man with one of the board members saying that he “didn’t find any literary value” in the book? Congratulations, Brother Ellison! In […]

NOTICE HOW THESE SYRIAN EVENTS FLOW TOGETHER?

I can’t say for sure if the following events are related, but their ordering is curious. First, in what barely made news in the United States, a large CIA and Jordan-trained rebel force was preparing for a move into Syria and toward Damascus, thus changing the balance of Syria’s civil war. Then, in a […]

WARNING – MCCAIN’S THINKING AGAIN

My initial dilemma was whether or not I should write about Senator John McCain’s latest bout of tangential erraticism, better known at the moment as his recent Pravda.ru op ed response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s NY Times article. My subsequent decision point was to decide how much time to spend on my response. Hint: I’m […]

IRAN – THE TABLE, THE BULLET, OR BOTH?

How many adults you know will respond favorably to a request you make that’s been packaged with a threat? How many adults will feel insulted, and likely not listen to anything else you have to say? World leaders aren’t much different from the rest of us humans. Think about what went through the […]