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Articles by Charley James

If you're born in Milwaukee, you are born a Democrat. And so I gravitated naturally to liberal politics, first as journalist and then an activist. I've been writing since I was eight years old and, after working in newsrooms for far too long, I have devoted much of the past decade as an independent investigtative jouralist. When not writing about politics or George Bush, I scribble out essays on the peculiarites of modern times.

Scrooge Is Premier of Alberta, Canada
Monday, 18 Jan, 2010 – 6:00 | One Comment
Scrooge Is Premier of Alberta, Canada

Charley James: t turns out that Scrooge – Ebenezer or McDuck, take your pick – is alive and well and running the Canadian province of Alberta. On Thursday, Conservative Premier Ed Stelmach told reporters the provincial government wouldn’t be donating a nickel of its lush, oil-and-gas royalty enriched treasury stash to aid in Haitian relief efforts.

Uncle Joe, Uncle Norman, JFK and Me
Tuesday, 29 Dec, 2009 – 17:20 | 2 Comments
Uncle Joe, Uncle Norman, JFK and Me

Charley James: Families with any luck whatsoever have a relative who is larger than life, a genuine character that leaves behind a trail of remarkable anecdotes that celebrate a life well lived. Mine was doubly blessed because we had two, Joe and Norman.

DHS Announces New Security Precaution: Underwear Inspection
Monday, 28 Dec, 2009 – 10:22 | 2 Comments
DHS Announces New Security Precaution: Underwear Inspection

Charley James: According to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, news reports that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab – the man accused to trying to blow up NW253 – concealed explosives in his underpants are accurate “so we want to be sure that, along with making people walk barefoot through check points, and banning shampoo and deodorant, no one is trying to sneak explosives aboard in their knickers.”

Neo-Con Renews Call to Bomb Iran in NY Times Op-Ed
Saturday, 26 Dec, 2009 – 6:00 | 15 Comments
Neo-Con Renews Call to Bomb Iran in NY Times Op-Ed

Charley James: The saddest thing about Kuperman is that the Times gave him serious space in a supposedly serious newspaper to spout the same discredited nonsense that got us into a mess in the Middle East at the same time President Obama is trying to extricate the world from the chaos unleashed the last time the neo-con war mongers had their way.

Republicans Running Possible War Criminal for Congress?
Monday, 21 Dec, 2009 – 6:00 | 6 Comments
Republicans Running Possible War Criminal for Congress?

Florida’s 22nd Congressional district is where Allen West, a former lieutenant colonel who was drummed out of the Army for torturing an Iraqi prisoner by holding a mock execution after allowing men under his command to repeatedly beat the detainee, has the GOP endorsement to run for Congress in 2010

Joe Lieberman Is “Unbalanced”
Thursday, 17 Dec, 2009 – 11:25 | 3 Comments
Joe Lieberman Is “Unbalanced”

At the same time, senior Senate aides from both sides of the aisle report that while Lieberman has always been unpredictable and difficult to work with, it’s a trait that became magnified after he lost his primary challenge to Ned Lamont in 2006.

Bah Humbug! Holiday Movies So Cute I Could Puke
Saturday, 12 Dec, 2009 – 11:00 | 9 Comments
Bah Humbug! Holiday Movies So Cute I Could Puke

I turn on television and the words “John Hughes,” “Chevy Chase,” “Tim Allen” and “Dan Aykroyd” pop up on the screen, my blood runs cold, my temples throb and I switch over to Fat Boy Hackeysack on ESPN2, or faux history shows like Ancestors in the Attic and Ice Road Truckers. I’d rather watch more bad news from Afghanistan on BBC World, or even Céline Dion on Ice.

Canadian PM Harper Carries on as Bush Lite
Friday, 4 Dec, 2009 – 14:00 | One Comment
Canadian PM Harper Carries on as Bush Lite

Harper is such a reactionary, so Neanderthal in his outlook, beliefs and world view that he makes Mike Huckabee seem qualified to lead MoveOn.org by comparison.

We Can’t “Train” Our Way Out of Afghanistan
Tuesday, 1 Dec, 2009 – 14:00 | One Comment
We Can’t “Train” Our Way Out of Afghanistan

It’s reported that, as part of Obama’s surge, one brigade of the 82nd Airborne will be deployed to serve as trainers.. But the 82nd Airborne is a regular Army brigade trained hard and tough to fight; unit members are not trained to train. What a farce.

Obama’s Afghan Box Canyon
Tuesday, 1 Dec, 2009 – 6:00 | No Comment
Obama’s Afghan Box Canyon

Although Obama may enjoy a brief up-tick in poll numbers after his talk, as soon as larger numbers of American bodies come home in flag-draped coffins, and Walter Reed fills up again with the damaged bodies and minds of soldiers whose lives have been ruined, the country will turn against what it thought, in November, 2009, was a good idea.

Like Leaves, Life Always Drifts Back To Earth
Tuesday, 24 Nov, 2009 – 9:00 | 13 Comments
Like Leaves, Life Always Drifts Back To Earth

Sorry to tell you this Chuck Grassley and Sarah Palin and Virginia Fox and Glenn Beck and the rest of the Teabaggers and people who think the richest nation on earth is doing just fine having one-third of its population uninsured or underinsured: The only death panel is the one inside each of us.

The Remake Of Pelham 1-2-3: Why So Many Movies Today Are So Lousy
Monday, 23 Nov, 2009 – 13:13 | One Comment
The Remake Of Pelham 1-2-3: Why So Many Movies Today Are So Lousy

Tony Scott is a hyperactive director who cannot hold a shot anymore than a frat boy can hold liquor; his enthusiasm sloshes and staggers and gets the spins, hurls left and right and up and down, and bears no resemblance to reality.

Reviewing Goofy Sarah’s Goofy Book
Monday, 16 Nov, 2009 – 8:34 | 3 Comments
Reviewing Goofy Sarah’s Goofy Book

Sadly, the book only increases her appeal to that very base of the shrinking GOP while leaving moderate Republicans, independents and anyone else who actually thinks about things out in the Alaskan cold.

RedState.com’s Erick Erickson’s Head Officially Explodes
Saturday, 14 Nov, 2009 – 10:00 | One Comment
RedState.com’s Erick Erickson’s Head Officially Explodes

Uhm, I remember seeing video of Osama bin Laden and several al-Qaeda spokesmen publicly stating after September 11 that the group wants to destroy everything America stands for. Well, it seems Erickson is all in favour of letting the terrorists have their way, going so far as to demand Washington finish the job those four groups of highjackers started by destroying the rule of law.

To Hell and Beck
Saturday, 7 Nov, 2009 – 9:00 | 4 Comments
To Hell and Beck

Who other than His Nuttiness would praise nurses for their knowledge, care, and understanding when they tended to him after he was hospitalised following botched hemorrhoid surgery only to turn on them a year later for supporting health care reform so people who don’t have Fox News’ lush group plan can get insurance?

Another Great Swindle: Doctors, Hospitals, Pharma as Much to Blame as Insurers
Friday, 6 Nov, 2009 – 10:00 | 5 Comments
Another Great Swindle: Doctors, Hospitals, Pharma as Much to Blame as Insurers

While the health insurance industry’s immoral, amoral and, sometimes, illegal treatment of policyholders is an appropriate prime culprit and target in the current push for reform, the fact is that physicians, hospitals and drug companies are getting an undeserved pass by much of the media.

Humana Trolls College Campuses for Whores
Monday, 2 Nov, 2009 – 12:00 | 10 Comments
Humana Trolls College Campuses for Whores

Humana is trolling college campuses looking for whores willing to accept money to be on-line promoters of an anti-reform policy that’s against the student’s own, best interests – or will be, once they leave school and are on their own. Given the state of the economy, no doubt Humana will be overwhelmed with applications.

Plamegate Rides Again: Early Peek At New Film
Thursday, 29 Oct, 2009 – 9:06 | One Comment
Plamegate Rides Again: Early Peek At New Film

Truly a wonderful human drama with political suspense that should interest anybody no matter how they vote.

Confessions of a Techno-Luddite
Tuesday, 27 Oct, 2009 – 8:02 | No Comment
Confessions of a Techno-Luddite

While Pew concludes that cell “refuseniks” generally are less educated and poorer than people who have them, it concedes grudgingly there is “a subset of adults who resist cell phones simply because they do not want them.

Yet Again, The Army Fails Its Troops
Monday, 19 Oct, 2009 – 10:33 | 6 Comments
Yet Again, The Army Fails Its Troops

No doubt the Pentagon was relieved because the report tears a strip off the Army for not giving commanders in Iraq – and, by extension, Afghanistan – the necessary tools, training and guidance to handle at-risk soldiers.

Everyone but Fox and the Taliban Applaud Obama’s Peace Prize
Friday, 9 Oct, 2009 – 11:46 | 9 Comments
Everyone but Fox and the Taliban Applaud Obama’s Peace Prize

I do know that when a sitting American president is named a Nobel laureate – including Obama, only Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson have been so honoured while still in office – it is a cause for rejoicing not just in the US but in the world.

Was Jesus a Socialist?
Tuesday, 6 Oct, 2009 – 6:07 | 2 Comments
Was Jesus a Socialist?

What didn’t register at the first screening was the profound theological message Michael Moore, a devout Catholic, wires into his new film.

Not the Belly of the Beast
Monday, 5 Oct, 2009 – 6:31 | One Comment
Not the Belly of the Beast

Thanks Max Baucus and the ObstructaDems and the GOP and Fox and the medico-insurance complex. You’ve really done a number on America. The question for the rest of us is: Why are we sitting at home reading this instead of storming Washington demanding the change we voted for?

Glenn Beck Can’t Take Glenn Beck’s Heat
Wednesday, 30 Sep, 2009 – 15:37 | 2 Comments
Glenn Beck Can’t Take Glenn Beck’s Heat

Mr. Beck, what I feel like writing is, sir, prove to me that you are not completely unhinged. And, anyway, why won’t you deny rumors that you raped and murdered a young girl in 1991 so this whole thing can be put to rest?

Medical Journal Health Affairs Bends Over and Coughs for Aetna
Tuesday, 29 Sep, 2009 – 6:00 | One Comment
Medical Journal Health Affairs Bends Over and Coughs for Aetna

Health Affairs made a deal with Aetna to sponsor the current issue of the journal. The problem is that the theme of the edition is “Bending the Cost Curve.” That’s wonk speak for “controlling or containing medical costs in ways that send shivers up the spine of Aetna.”

Health Insurance Inaction More Likely to Kill You Than a Drunk Driver or Psychotic Murderer
Monday, 28 Sep, 2009 – 11:17 | 2 Comments
Health Insurance Inaction More Likely to Kill You Than a Drunk Driver or Psychotic Murderer

In roughly the time it takes to read this article, one American dies of not having health insurance or access to care. Take two down if you are a slow reader.

New Study: Public Option Popular In Blue Dog Districts, Across Nation
Tuesday, 22 Sep, 2009 – 6:13 | One Comment
New Study: Public Option Popular In Blue Dog Districts, Across Nation

Isn’t it w-a-y past time for the president, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to call out Democrat opponents for what they are: Lying shills who are in the pocket of insurance companies, and who have no regard for the problems of their constituents.

What A Surprise! “Values Voters” Pick Racist Huckabee
Monday, 21 Sep, 2009 – 8:00 | 2 Comments
What A Surprise! “Values Voters” Pick Racist Huckabee

Huckabee, the silver-tongued, jovial Baptist preacher now best known for losing weight, charmed the crowd gathered in Washington over Rosh Hashanah weekend – Shanatova, en shallah to all – by dog whistling coded racist messages that wowed folks in the ballroom.

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and the 10th Amendment
Thursday, 17 Sep, 2009 – 15:00 | 7 Comments
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and the 10th Amendment

Somehow, I suspect Pawlenty is more interested in the impact of his idiotic comments on the GOP’s dwindling base of lunatics than he is in my comments. If I hear back, I’ll let you know.

Cut the Crap: Compared to America, Canada’s Health Care Is a Utopian Dream
Wednesday, 16 Sep, 2009 – 14:22 | 4 Comments
Cut the Crap: Compared to America, Canada’s Health Care Is a Utopian Dream

I’ve experienced health care on both sides of the 49th parallel and can tell you that, compared to what happens when you get sick in the US, Canada is utopia.

GOP Thugs Warn Collins, Snowe: Oppose Health Care or Face Primary Challenges
Wednesday, 16 Sep, 2009 – 7:56 | 2 Comments
GOP Thugs Warn Collins, Snowe: Oppose Health Care or Face Primary Challenges

Now we have proof that the crazies grabbed control of the asylum and bullies are shaking down and thumping – not entirely figuratively – Republicans in the halls of the US Senate.

Teabaggers in the Mist
Tuesday, 15 Sep, 2009 – 13:15 | 7 Comments
Teabaggers in the Mist

Glenn Beck once insisted that he started his “9/12 Movement” to recapture the sense of unity in the nation the day after the terrorist attacks in 2001. That idea lasted about four minutes Saturday morning …

The Only Way Out of Afghanistan Is to Leave. Here’s a Realistic Way to Do It
Tuesday, 15 Sep, 2009 – 8:11 | 2 Comments
The Only Way Out of Afghanistan Is to Leave. Here’s a Realistic Way to Do It

We won’t solve Afghanistan’s social or political problems by continuing to wage a cruel and apparently endless war. Our soldiers will never be able to change Afghanistan’s social behavior or end tribal customs that go back thousands of years. They are too busy defending their own bases from angry Afghans and it’s time to leave them alone.

Toronto Film Festival: Moore’s Capitalism Will Infuriate Wingnuts Because It’s Accurate.
Monday, 14 Sep, 2009 – 5:00 | 13 Comments
Toronto Film Festival: Moore’s Capitalism Will Infuriate Wingnuts Because It’s Accurate.

Michael Moore’s newest film explores a taboo question that will make the right wing go apeshit yet again: What price does America pay for its love of capitalism?

Cry, The Beloved Country
Friday, 28 Aug, 2009 – 9:17 | 4 Comments
Cry, The Beloved Country

Meanwhile, to my knowledge, only one elected Republican official has called for this to stop. I guess crazy is a pre-existing condition, as Paul Krugman notes in his blog.

No, Mr. President, I Will Not “Back Off”
Thursday, 6 Aug, 2009 – 9:02 | No Comment
No, Mr. President, I Will Not “Back Off”

One of the reasons so many of us worked so tirelessly for nearly two exhausting years was because of your long-standing commitment to genuine change in the way health care is delivered and paid for in the United States.

Confronted With Truth, Blue Dog Ben Nelson Throws Hissy Fit
Tuesday, 4 Aug, 2009 – 9:29 | 3 Comments
Confronted With Truth, Blue Dog Ben Nelson Throws Hissy Fit

Since the White House and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid seem unwilling to take on Blue Dogs blocking desperately needed public option from health care and insurance reform, the job of calling them out is falling to advocates and Keith Olbermann.

UPDATE 5: “I Love Alaska So Much I Quit”
Tuesday, 28 Jul, 2009 – 12:30 | No Comment
UPDATE 5: “I Love Alaska So Much I Quit”

Sadly for the country, compadres of this group run amok in the nation, blocking health care reform, trying to stop card check, fighting financial industry regulation and taking stimulus money for their state in one hand while slamming it with the other. The GOP once was the Grand Old Party; now, sadly, the initials stand for Goofy Old Poops.

Obama Needs a Shot of LBJ
Monday, 27 Jul, 2009 – 14:42 | No Comment
Obama Needs a Shot of LBJ

It is way past time for The White House to start playing hardball politics with Congress, and I don’t mean the annoying Chris Mathews version.

Ten Totally Weird Days on the Far Right
Tuesday, 21 Jul, 2009 – 14:36 | 3 Comments
Ten Totally Weird Days on the Far Right

Senate Republicans confirmed they have an odd, almost sexual, obsession with “wise Latina women” that borders on a fetish.

UPDATE 4: Goofy Sarah Blames Reporters So She Invites Them To A Fishkill
Wednesday, 8 Jul, 2009 – 9:23 | No Comment
UPDATE 4: Goofy Sarah Blames Reporters So She Invites Them To A Fishkill

Did any of the media really expect Palin would suddenly turn all serious and thoughtful and coherent, giving answers that both made sense and were introspective?

UPDATE 3: Goofy Sarah’s Goofy Money Problems
Monday, 6 Jul, 2009 – 10:59 | One Comment
UPDATE 3: Goofy Sarah’s Goofy Money Problems

This morning’s New York Times which reports today that Governor Sarah Palin resigned because of the rising cost of her mounting personal legal bills

UPDATE 2: Goofy Sarah Stomps Her Feet And Holds Her Breath
Sunday, 5 Jul, 2009 – 12:32 | No Comment
UPDATE 2: Goofy Sarah Stomps Her Feet And Holds Her Breath

In addition to learning few lessons about national politics last fall, neither, apparently did she learn a real world, life lesson: Never pick a fight with anyone who buys newsprint by the ton

Missing Home on July 4
Saturday, 4 Jul, 2009 – 9:50 | No Comment
Missing Home on July 4

July 1 was Canada Day and, on Wednesday, The New York Times asked 11 Canadians living in the States what they missed most about their native land. Turnabout is fair play and I started thinking …

Breaking News: Goofy Sarah’s Goofy Resignation
Friday, 3 Jul, 2009 – 13:52 | 8 Comments
Breaking News: Goofy Sarah’s Goofy Resignation

“People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing’s more important to me than our beloved Alaska. Serving her people is the greatest honor I could imagine.”
In fact, Palin loves Alaska and the …

What’s With Cable’s “All Jack-O All The Time” News Coverage?
Friday, 26 Jun, 2009 – 17:05 | 7 Comments
What’s With Cable’s “All Jack-O All The Time” News Coverage?

Yesterday’s solemn, over-the-top, wall-to-wall, commercial free coverage of Michael Jackson’s death left me wondering if Archduke Ferdinand had been shot a second time.
Yes, Jackson once was an entertainment and music genius but he hadn’t done …

Yet Again, The Right Is Wrong – This Time About Cap-And-Trade Costs
Tuesday, 23 Jun, 2009 – 9:00 | No Comment
Yet Again, The Right Is Wrong – This Time About Cap-And-Trade Costs

Don’t conservatives, ConservaDems, the Republican Party, and the rest of the “climate change is a hoax” crowd ever get tired of being wrong?
For several years, business lobbyists along with GOP and other right wing mouthpieces …

The World Should Be Thanking Nico Pitney
Monday, 22 Jun, 2009 – 15:18 | One Comment
The World Should Be Thanking Nico Pitney

More than MSNBC, BBC or CNN; more than The New York Times or The Independent; more than perhaps any other news outlet, the world should be thanking Nico Pitney.
For seven days, his live blogging at …

Walter Cronkite Gravely Ill
Sunday, 21 Jun, 2009 – 11:30 | No Comment
Walter Cronkite Gravely Ill

The most trusted man in America is said to be gravely ill and nearing death.
Walter Cronkite, once The Most Trusted Man In America according to a Gallup Poll at the time, is 92 and TVNewser …

The GOP Keeps Trash Talking Health Care
Friday, 19 Jun, 2009 – 15:06 | No Comment
The GOP Keeps Trash Talking Health Care

Like when it rolled out its laughable 18-page “budget” five months ago that forgot to include any numbers, yesterday John “Man Tan” Boehner, Eric “Ralph Wiggums” Cantor and a handful of other Congressional Republicans unveiled …

Joan Walsh Is Right: Bill O’Reilly Is Vile
Monday, 15 Jun, 2009 – 9:40 | One Comment
Joan Walsh Is Right: Bill O’Reilly Is Vile

The good news about Fox News blubber mouth Bill O’Reilly is that he speaks to only a teeny, tiny percentage of the country; the bad news is part of that small and dwindling group actually …

Health Care Folly: Insurance Companies Bet Big on You Smoking to Death
Monday, 8 Jun, 2009 – 7:43 | No Comment
Health Care Folly: Insurance Companies Bet Big on You Smoking to Death

In so-called “public service” ads appearing on TV and radio, or in print and on the intertubes, many health insurance companies urge people to stay healthy by quitting smoking. The company that provides a supplemental …

A Simple First Step Towards Universal Health Care
Monday, 1 Jun, 2009 – 6:30 | 6 Comments
A Simple First Step Towards Universal Health Care

The New York Times reported Saturday morning that a major split between Senator Ted Kennedy – back on the Hill as he fights brain cancer – and Senator Max Baucus over the shape and form …

The GOP Has Become A Bugs Bunny Cartoon
Sunday, 31 May, 2009 – 14:00 | One Comment
The GOP Has Become A Bugs Bunny Cartoon

According to the loonie chorus on the right, we’re all sons of bitches now.
When they’re not bashing Sonia Sotomayor for asking sharp questions from the bench – which would seem to be a pretty basic …

A Tip Without An Iceberg: Americans, Not Canucks, Are The Real Medical Refugees
Friday, 29 May, 2009 – 16:22 | 5 Comments
A Tip Without An Iceberg: Americans, Not Canucks, Are The Real Medical Refugees

Once the Senate puts aside the irrational fracas over Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court – she eats spicy food, her name doesn’t sound American, she can be quoted out of context, she’s a …

Hot Docs in Cool Toronto
Friday, 29 May, 2009 – 5:04 | No Comment
Hot Docs in Cool Toronto

Its better known, slicker cousin, the Toronto International Film Festival, attracts celebrities, glitterati, paparazzi, red carpets and searchlights arching the Canadian night sky. Held in September, TIFF kicks off the industry’s festival season that continues …

When Will The New York Times Stop Believing The Pentagon?
Thursday, 28 May, 2009 – 14:51 | One Comment
When Will The New York Times Stop Believing The Pentagon?

The so-called newspaper of record – and Judith Miller and Jayson Blair – did it again.
Someone at the Pentagon leaked a report about how many former Guantanamo detainees were released only to become active in …

Wingnuts Take Aim at Supremes’ Nominee Sotomayor
Tuesday, 26 May, 2009 – 11:00 | No Comment
Wingnuts Take Aim at Supremes’ Nominee Sotomayor

The right wing was gearing up for this fight even before Justice David Souter thought about retiring. This week, as President Obama was naming – as expected – Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor to fill …

Why TV Is the Pits
Monday, 25 May, 2009 – 15:03 | 4 Comments
Why TV Is the Pits

I am increasingly distressed by, and unhappy with, BBC Canada. And BBC America isn’t any better, based on the program schedule on its website.
When BBC Canada launched as a stand-alone subscription service several years ago, …

“Of Course (The CIA) Misled Congress. We Were Trained How.”
Friday, 22 May, 2009 – 12:17 | No Comment
“Of Course (The CIA) Misled Congress. We Were Trained How.”

The voice of the former CIA briefer on the phone is strong and direct, unapologetic in either tone or words.
“Of course we misled Congress on torture. The White House and (George) Tenet demanded it, and …

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