Liberal Talk Radio

New York Times reports changes coming in the way air passengers are screened. Changes will involve new types of random searches and expanded pat downs for targeted passengers. Interestingly, the new screening will relax restrictions on small sharps — scissors and the like. This is an interesting political bargain. Homeland Security is reconizing the necessity [...]

Researchers in the UK have developed a device that repels teenagers. No joke. It emits a high-pitched noise that only affects young ears. Convenience store owners, rejoice! But last month, Mr. Stapleton gave him a Mosquito for a free trial. The results were almost instantaneous. It was as if someone had used anti-teenager spray around [...]

Far, far be it from me to judge the idealism of peace activists risking their lives to make places like Iraq a better place — not to mention contemplating the particular terror of being kidnapped by machete-wielding kooks — but I have to say there is a big disconnect in play when the organization you’re [...]

As I’ve noted before, watching The West Wing in re-runs these days it becomes clear how pragmatically right-of-center, in some respects, the Bartlet Administration was. Though it’s often derided as The Left Wing, the show’s pretty centrist all around. Sure, the religious right is the butt of a lot of jokes, but hey, they’re funny! [...]

I would love to believe that the Global War on Terror (GWOT) is entirely fought on the battlefields, or in dank, dusty alleys by guys as cool as George Clooney. For example, I share Peggy Noonan’s desire for a suitably dramatic version of the apprehension of UBL, complete with a Paul Simon soundtrack, but I [...]

Another headliner from the Elephant, or, A Factory for Producing Big, Stinking Piles of … Scandal. Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-CA), pleaded guilty to taking bribes for steering defense contracts to comrades. In a statement, prosecutors said Cunningham admitted to receiving at least $2.4 million in bribes paid to him by several conspirators through a [...]

I meant to blog about this NY TImes article (link goes to the only place i could find it archived) before Thanksgiving, but it got away from me. Interesting stuff: The Pentagon’s leadership, recognizing that it was caught off guard by difficulties in pacifying Iraq after the invasion, is poised to approve a sweeping directive [...]

Josh Feit says what we’re all thinking (well, all 5 of us Seattle neo-liberals, anyway): it’s time for Jim to go. What’s my beef with Baghdad Jim? After all, he’s a good liberal: against the war, against Bush’s tax cuts, and against Bush’s attempt to privatize Social Security. The truth is, I don’t have many [...]

These guys just cant keep their hands out of the honey pot, can they? It’s been a bad Thanksgiving for the GOP machine, what with Michael Scanlon ready to sing like a bird on allegations he and Ralph Reed and Jack Abramoff worked the Indian tribes for suckers. Note to Democrats: be careful with these [...]

Seriously… did anyone catch the Seahawks game yesterday? I’m not a huge football fan, but you’ve got to start paying at least a little. attention when you realize that your home team has the best record in the league. Anyway. Suffice it to say I’m back in town. I read this Atlantic Monthly article on [...]