The Family Steering Committee of the 9/11 Independent Commission would like to ask President Bush: What plan of action caused you to remain seated after Andrew Card informed you that a second airliner had hit the second tower of the World Trade Center and America was clearly under attack? Approximately how long did you remain in the classroom after Card’s message? (Friday was kind of hectic, so this question is a few days late. This is also why I didn't... Read more
Jeff Montgomery reports in The News Journal that the latest advisory for those who go fishing in the Delaware River allows one serving a year of fish caught in the river south of the canal: The advisory discouraged consumption of any fish caught between the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal and the Pennsylvania border. South of the canal, the states [New Jersey and Delaware] recommended against eating any large bluefish, a species prized for food and sport fishing. The same advisory... Read more
A low credit score can mean many things. It may mean that you are an unreliable and irresponsible person and therefore the unelected-yet-very-powerful credit reporting agencies have determined that you are not to be trusted with loans of large sums of money. It's far more likely, though, that it means you simply don't have large sums of money at your disposal, and therefore the almighty CRAs are simply noting that you would not have the means to repay such loans.... Read more
One of the main attributes John Kerry should be looking for in a running mate should be the tenacity and courage to stand up to President Bush and fight for the public. Kerry also needs someone who will be perceived as "tough" on national security in a post-9/11 world. I recommend Kristen Breitweiser, a New Jersey "housewife" whose husband Ronald was killed at the World Trade Center. With little formal power, she has battled the full force of the Bush... Read more
Atrios has been running an ad for Joe Hoeffel, the Pennsylvania Democrat who's running against Sen. Arlen "my client Ira Einhorn poses no flight risk" Specter in November. As Atrios points out, Specter is facing a well-funded primary challenge from the very conservative Pat Toomey, which could leave him vulnerable in the general election. I feel some personal responsibility here. I lived in Ardmore, in what was then the 13th District, for many years and regularly volunteered as a doorbell-ringer,... Read more
The Family Steering Committee of the 9/11 Independent Commission would like to ask President Bush: U.S. Navy Captain Deborah Loewer, the Director of the White House Situation Room, informed you of the first airliner hitting Tower One of the World Trade Center before you entered the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida. Please explain the reason why you decided to continue with the scheduled classroom visit, fifteen minutes after learning the first hijacked airliner had hit the World... Read more
I watched Larry King host CNN's Super Tuesday coverage last night and found three things oddly enjoyable: 1. Mo Rocca's observation that Rep. Marilyn Musgrove, R-Colo., sponsor of the Federal Marriage Amendment, "was incredible in 'One Few Over the Cuckoo's Nest.' I thought she was great." 2. The way in which Tucker Carlson was squirmishly not amused by Rocca's commentary, but seemed to be biting his tongue because he realized he couldn't object without looking like a humorless jerk, and... Read more
The Family Steering Committee of the 9/11 Independent Commission would like to ask President Bush: In your opinion, why was our nation so utterly unprepared for an attack on our own soil? I'm repeating their questions because, again, they won't have a chance to ask these questions themselves. President Bush does not regard himself as accountable to the Family Steering Committee. (The first eight words of that sentence could probably stand alone.) The president has agreed to meet with the... Read more
I've written previously of what I call "Javert Syndrome, which I described as the pathological situation in which police's, prosecutors' or victims': … concern to see justice done has become so inextricably bound to their initial suspicions that they are unable to accept even overwhelming, incontrovertible evidence that those first impressions were wrong … The result is a double injustice: the wrongly accused can end up being punished and the actually guilty get away with their crimes. The recent acquital... Read more
Steve Allen would have loved the letters page in the newspaper I work for. The first "Tonight Show" host had a routine where he would don a ridiculous wig and read actual letters to the editor, doing his best to replicate the spittle-flecked rage in the tone of the original. Our letters page publishes many such letters. The policy for the page, such as it is, seems to be that it's a kind of freewheeling marketplace of ideas, where no... Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In