Charles Couger

On a humid September evening over 200 years ago, a tired Benjamin Franklin was asked “Well Doctor, what have we got, a Republic or a Monarchy?” Franklin responded in one of his characteristically laconic quips: “A Republic, if you can keep it.” (more)

During the Bush years, when the Republicans controlled Congress, government spending soared, deficits increased, and the federal government grew. In fact, very few remember that the Tea Party movement started as a reaction to TARP—a Bush administration policy. Flash forward two years, and you’ll find dozens of GOP candidates that argue that their own party “lost its way” when it was last in power. As Democrat Steny Hoyer pointed out last April, “hypocrisy is difficult to deal with.” (more)

It’s called buzkashi, and it’s Afghanistan’s national sport. The game is simple enough: horses assemble on the side of a field, players cling to their horses with one hand, and grip their leather whip with the other. In the center of the field is a goat, lying in cold blood, with no head, covered in flies. (more)