News Nuggets 363

Agricultural workers in Manila in the Philippines.

America Turning Over a New Leaf (Editorial) from the Times of India [in English]

"Obama can't be faulted for pursuing American national interests. But these are being defined in a manner which make them more compatible with the rest of the world, a welcome shift in emphasis. It's good that the era of American triumphalism following the demise of the Soviet Union has ended."

Hillary's Quiet China Victory (Dan Levin) from the Daily Beast

"Escalating tension over North Korea dominated news reports about Secretary Clinton's trip to Beijing. But behind closed doors, she was quietly hammering away at strategic agreements to boost U.S. business interests."

Obama vs. Al Capone (Fareed Zakaria) from Newsweek

""It is better to be feared than loved," Dick Cheney used to say, quoting Machiavelli. Donald Rumsfeld chose a less upmarket source, often citing Al Capone's line: "You will get further with a kind word and a gun than with a kind word." Have we forgotten the results of this experiment in foreign policy as machismo? America's oldest allies in Europe turned against the United States. Governments publicly criticized Washington on policy after policy and refused to support its efforts. By 2007, large majorities of people in country after country, even historically pro-American places like Britain, had turned against America."

Weakening America: Mitch McConnell Shows How (James Fallows) from the Atlantic

"Yes, people endure worse hardships than being made to wait for Senate confirmation for a fancy job. "I still tell myself this will be worth it in the end, assuming it ends," the nominee said. But it is bad for America to leave so much of its governmental and diplomatic leadership vacant for months or years at the beginning of each administration -- and it's worse, in the long run, to allow a process that makes many talented people think, Why would I ever want to go through that?"

Fox News Show: Gitmo 'Suicides' Torture Gone Wrong? from Raw Story

"When three detainees at Guantanamo Bay were found hanged in their cells on June 9, 2006, the official explanation was suicide. Human rights attorney Scott Horton, however, believes that "clearly these were homicides.""

I have long suspected this to be the case. Who knows if this story will get more attention.

Poll: 51 Percent of Americans Oppose Offshore Oil Drilling from LiveScience

"As the Deepwater Horizon leak continues to dump oil into the Gulf of Mexico, American opinions about offshore oil drilling have begun to shift. More than half now believe the risks of offshore drilling outweigh the benefits, according to a nationwide survey by Virginia Commonwealth University released today."

This may be the silver lining to the mess in the Gulf.

Dems Bring Out Hardball Tactics from The Hill

"Facing newly aggressive political maneuvering from Republicans, House Democrats are playing their own version of hardball. Democrats successfully pushed through an expansive science re-authorization bill on Friday, less than two weeks after the GOP rebuffed their offer of a scaled-down version of the measure to address concerns about cost."

California Passes Bill to Counteract 'Disturbing' Texas Curriculum from Raw Story

"Measure ensures Texas standards don't 'creep into our textbooks,' senator tells Raw Story. The California Senate on Friday approved legislation that sends a clear message to Texas and textbook publishers: don't mess with our kids' minds."

VERY GREAT!! I hope other states follow California's lead!

Thousands in Phoenix Protest Arizona's Immigration Law from the Los Angeles Times

"There was no official crowd estimate, but the march was by far the biggest demonstration since Gov. Jan Brewer signed SB 1070 into law on April 23."

Are Vicious Primaries Hurting the GOP? (Ed Kilgore) from the Democratic Strategist

"... the many fractious GOP primaries around the country may well represent a Struggle for the Soul of the Republican Party, but shouldn't have too much general election impact, particularly if the correct (e.g., less rabid) candidates wind up winning. But I dunno. Evidence is beginning to accumulate that voters aren't real crazy about vicious primaries."

Disturbing Lessons from the Rand Paul Fallout (Sherrilyn Ifill) from The Root

"The Republican Party's response to Paul displays an ongoing nostalgia for pre-civil rights America."

With the coming of the 21st century, the GOP stopped looking forward with anything but fear and loathing. The only thing positive that they have to sell now are rose-colored countrified visions of the past. Usually it is 1950s America (before Brown v. Bd of Ed) and increasingly it is fantasyland versions of the 1920s (before the New Deal). In either case, as the GOP's focus has shifted backwards, it ceased to be a 'conservative' party and became in all respects (almost by definition) a reactionary party. They want to ignore the changes and the realities that are part of the 21st century and rewind the clock to a simpler (read whiter) time. In many ways, it is both sad and pathetic.

Illinois Senate Candidate Admits Claim About Military Award was Inaccurate from the Washington Post

"The Republican candidate for President Obama's old Senate seat has admitted to inaccurately claiming he received the U.S. Navy's Intelligence Officer of the Year award for his service during NATO's conflict with Serbia in the late 1990s."

Last time I looked he and his Dem opponent in this Senate race were close in the polls. Unlike Blumenthal's experience in CT, I think this will do some major damage to Kirk's campaign. I hate to be hyperpartisan -- but one of the things I've noted with the GOP candidate pool this election cycle is how the backgrounds and attitudes of so many of them are so ... problematic! It has me think that these folks somehow think that THIS is their big chance -- when the rhetoric of easy GOP wins has them think that they can just walk to victory in November and not have to face their own words and actions from the past. It seems to me that many of them are blinded by their own sense of entitlement and their own sense of righteous 'destiny."

HISTORY NUGGET!!

How Arlington National Cemetery Came to Be from Smithsonian Magazine

"The fight over Robert E. Lee's beloved home—seized by the U.S. government during the Civil War—went on for decades."

ART & ARCHEOLOGY NUGGET!!

Louvre on the Rocks: Cache of Aboriginal Art Revealed from AOL News

"Archaeologists have revealed the first detailed studies of what some call one of the world's most significant collections of rock art, a treasure trove of more than 3,000 stunning paintings and other images spanning as many as 15,000 years."

BASEBALL NUGGET!!

Sparky Lyle: Extra Innings from the New York Times

"The name is slightly familiar, but it’s the bushy mustache that tickles the memory. Back in the 1970s, the Yanks had a fun-loving, irreverent, gifted relief pitcher named Sparky Lyle, and darn if the mustache on that oversize cartoon hound dog doesn’t look like old Sparky’s."

It is hard for me to say what a HUGE baseball fan I was in the mid to late 1970s. As a Red Sox fan, I hated the Yankees -- but I will have to say, even then I both dreaded and highly respected Sparky Lyle. I believe there was one season where he was 28-3!! He was an amazing pitcher!