Archive for the 'United States' Category

State Party Affiliation Still Leans Left

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Democrats, Polls, Republicans, United States, Video

Gallup did a state by state assessment and came up with the following map. Very discouraging for the Repubs out there.

I think this is mostly due to the fact that Republicans still aren’t proposing viable solutions. And that’s probably because they lack any true leadership right now.
Also, whether they want to admit it or not, [...]

August 3rd, 2009 | Permalink| 10 Comments »

Helium-3: Energy Godsend?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in China, Energy, Russia, Science, Space, Technology, The Politics Of Film, The World, United States

I’ve been genuinely intrigued at how much fiction and reality have been intersecting recently.
See, there’s this film called MOON and it follows the story of a guy working on the far side of the moon who figures out that there’s a lot more to his mission than collecting the natural resource Helium-3. It’s a [...]

July 23rd, 2009 | Permalink| 4 Comments »

Penn & Teller On Patriotism

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in United States, Video

A great video for today.

What do you love about the United States?
And, on the other hand, what do you think we could be doing better?

July 4th, 2009 | Permalink| No Comments »

“And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air…”

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in History, United States

Happy Independence Day everybody. Hope you and yours have a fun and safe 4th.
And, as always, thank you so much for reading and joining the conversations here.

July 4th, 2009 | Permalink| No Comments »

Tensions With North Korea Increase

By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in North Korea, United Nations, United States

North Korea seems very insistent on testing President Obama. Apparently, the U.S. government is tracking a North Korean freighter suspected of carrying illicit arms.
Government officials say they will act within the bounds of a recent UN Security Council resolution which permits international navies to request the inspection of North Korean cargo vessels but does not [...]

June 18th, 2009 | Permalink| 8 Comments »

Government Looking To Downsize Cities

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Ideas, United States

It started in Flint, Michigan, but it could be extended to other blighted communities across the nation.
From Telegraph:
The radical experiment is the brainchild of Dan Kildee, treasurer of Genesee County, which includes Flint.
Having outlined his strategy to Barack Obama during the election campaign, Mr Kildee has now been approached by the US government and a [...]

June 13th, 2009 | Permalink| 8 Comments »

Could Obama Have Performed Better in Latin America?

By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in Barack, Foreign Policy, United States, Venezuela

Barack Obama’s handshake with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has managed to upset more than a few observers. Of course, the negative reaction from the right has been so predictable and overblown, there’s been little room for a more reasonable critique of Obama’s performance in Latin America.
Thankfully, Eugene Robinson, writing for the Washington Post has written [...]

April 21st, 2009 | Permalink| 6 Comments »

US And Russia Agree To Arms Deal Within The Year?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Military, Nuclear, Russia, United States

Some good news already from G20:
After a meeting between the two men in London, on the eve of the G20 summit, President Obama also accepted an invitation to fly to Moscow in July, by which time both sides hope negotiators from both countries will have worked out an arms control deal to replace the Strategic [...]

April 1st, 2009 | Permalink| 2 Comments »

ANP (VIDEO): Fed Lends Two Trillion Without Oversight

By American News Project | Related entries in Bad Decisions, Bailouts, Bloomberg, Congress, D.C., Dodd, Economic recovery, Economy, Film, Florida, United States, WTF?, Wall Street, Washington

If you thought $700 billion was a lot of money, well..
It is.
But $2 trillion is.. ridiculous.

This is Danielle Ivory from ANP.
Congress and the new administration have been focusing their attention on strengthening oversight for the Treasury’s TARP program, but meanwhile few are paying any attention to the Federal Reserve.
Since September, [...]

January 30th, 2009 | Permalink| No Comments »

Yesterday

By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in Barack, United States

I didn’t post my reactions to Barack Obama’s inaugural address yesterday because I knew I could not be anything close to objective. I was moved by the occasion and caught up in the sense of hope (justified or not). I thought the speech’s tone was an excellent blend of forcefulness and humility, of reaching back [...]

January 21st, 2009 | Permalink| No Comments »

First Thoughts on the Obama Presidency

By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in Barack, Independents, United States

In a few hours, Barack Hussein Obama will be President of the United States of America. This is an exceptional moment in U.S. history, not because Obama is the first black president (although that’s certainly noteworthy) but because we’re at one of those rare crossroads when we know the next four years will be of [...]

January 20th, 2009 | Permalink| 2 Comments »

ANP (WATCH): Congress Ignored Critical Bailout Oversight Provision—No Way to Follow the Money

By American News Project | Related entries in Bush, Business, Cartoons, Congress, D.C., Dodd, Dumb Things Said By Smart People, Economy, In The News, New York, Senate, United States, Video, WTF?, Wall Street

Hi, this is Danielle Ivory from the American News Project. My colleague, Lagan Sebert, and I just published a new video on the bailout and a lack of serious oversight.
Today, Henry Paulson urged Congress to release the second half of the $700 billion of the bailout money. But no one seems know what banks [...]

December 19th, 2008 | Permalink| No Comments »

CIA Critic Finds Agency Set Up For Failure

By Glenn Church | Related entries in The War On Terrorism, United States

The International Herald Tribune has an opinion piece in it highly critical of the CIA. It makes one wonder if the guys in that agency have a mindset that much different from the automakers in Detroit. All have plenty of money to throw at a problem, but they seem to fail wherever they turn.
First, let’s [...]

December 16th, 2008 | Permalink| 4 Comments »

77% Want Kids To Say Pledge Every Day

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Bad Decisions, Polls, Religion, United States

Well, just when I think I understand Americans something like this comes around and smacks me in the face…
77% of U.S. voters say school children should say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning at school, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
Just 13% say they should not, and 9% are undecided.
Sorry, but aren’t [...]

December 1st, 2008 | Permalink| 42 Comments »

By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in Military, United States, War

To those who made it home, and to those who didn’t: thank you for being there.

November 11th, 2008 | Permalink| 1 Comment »

Obama is Elected President.

By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, News, United States

So, it really is over.
John McCain has conceded. Barack Obama is currently giving his victory speech. We have some new blue states and, in a few months, we’ll inaugurate a new president.
The night has gone just about like the polls suggested it would. So I guess that data wasn’t so bad after all, although it [...]

November 4th, 2008 | Permalink| 7 Comments »

ANP: Philadelphia Democrats Continue to Eat their own, Treat Registered Voters as if Unregistered

By American News Project | Related entries in Elections, News, Partisan Hacks, Pennsylvania, Polls, United States, Voting, WTF?

Danielle, here!
I’m back in Philly, my home away from home, sitting in a swanky hotel lobby, facing a wall, like a crazy person, in order to borrow wireless. And I’ve just published a piece for ANP.
Here’s the scoop…
Today, registered voters in Philly found their names missing from local poll books, which are apparently [...]

November 4th, 2008 | Permalink| No Comments »

We’re Going to Be Just Fine

By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in 2008 Election, Elections, United States

As the election neared, I heard more and more outlandish remarks about John McCain and Barack Obama. I was told that voting for Obama put me close to the ideology of the world’s tyrants. I read here in the comments that only the stupid, rich and racist are voting for McCain. I’ve seen, again and [...]

November 4th, 2008 | Permalink| 11 Comments »

Presidential Losers

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Elections, History, United States

We all know these three guys…

But do you know who Horatio Seymour is? Or how about DeWitt Clinton?
Check out ALL of the losers over at Hurty Elbow.

November 4th, 2008 | Permalink| 1 Comment »

Why Obama’s Winning

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, United States, Video

Because of talk like this…

Love him or hate him, this is exactly what he was saying in 2004.
And while some are puzzled by Obama’s appeal and think Americans are being irrational, I don’t think it’s any surprise that we’re going with a guy who has consistently been making the case for a “united” America [...]

November 2nd, 2008 | Permalink| 3 Comments »