Walter Scott's killer may be on his way to prison, but FAIR reminds us that the "liberal" media were happy to accept police statements about the shooting without checking them until incontrovertible video evidence showed up. Even in the good old days when reporters prided themselves on asking actual tough questions, I bet they were more deferential to police than situations warranted. That doesn't make their contemporary errors any better, however.
Tom Streithorst wonders "Why America Keeps Losing Wars" since 1945. Long story short: because our wars since 1945 are all one kind -- the "long, pointless war in a faraway land." Kudos to Mr. Streithorst for, well, so many things, but I'll list three: for reminding us that we're "by far the safest country on the planet," for describing the "pristine highway cloverleaf interchange" to nowhere in the middle of the Vietnam jungle, and for calling Jonah Goldberg "right-wing" instead of "conservative."
Ho hum, two centrist House Democrats signal support for "free" trade. Rep. Kind (D-WI) seems to confuse "a proactive, aggressive trade agenda" with "ramming a bad trade deal down our throats without proper Congressional debate." Democrats keep BSing the American people with their bait-and-switch games on "free" trade, and I'm sick of it -- especially since it lets Republicans get what they want without working for it.
At least one candidate for the Maryland Senate seat that opens in 2016 has declared she won't take campaign donations from "Wall Street banks." I like Donna Edwards generally, but Mr. Zornick is right to remind us that "Wall Street banks" means something different now than it did even a dozen years ago -- and that a lot of banksters on Wall Street aren't really banks, but are hedge funds, insurance corporations, and equity firms.
Speaking of banksters, bank employees will demonstrate in Minneapolis on Monday to protest both their own meager pay and high-pressure sales tactics their bosses force them to inflict on their customers. Not only do banksters care more about selling credit cards than selling services their customers actually need (like programs that might help you save for retirement!), but some three in 10 bank tellers get food stamps right now. I wish them the best in their efforts.
Finally, Tom Cotton thinks Iran is becoming intolerably powerful, though he also believes we can bring them to heel with a few days of air bombing, but perhaps an actual conservative like Daniel Larison can convince him he's wrong. Just kidding: Tom Cotton is a reactionary, not a conservative, and thus impervious to wisdom from any quarter. Still, read it, and be reminded that a) Iran's allies are few and worse off than they were just a few years ago and b) id Iran appears to have improved its own standing, that's entirely due to our little adventure in Iraq.
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