More wisdom from Zakaria on the panty bomber. I am continually depressed with how easily terrorists reduce the Right Wing to complete pants-shitting terror — or at least the pretense thereof for political gain.
Five worst lawsuits of 2009. The Holocaust one is my favorite.
The myth that tax cuts massively increase federal revenues persists. It’s the Laffer Curve, guys, not the Laffer Line.
It seems really stupid to close racial disparities in education by … canceling extra lab sessions.
Yes, Ms. Franklin. It’s the label that’s holding those kids back — not your party’s complete sellout to every lobbying group with a bill and a sack of money.
The more I find out about the likely new senator from Mass, the less I like her. As I have said — what’s the point in electing Democrats if they are even worse than Republicans on mindless law and order garbage?
Obama was savaged for setting a soft deadline for leaving Afghanistan. But it looks like it may have had at least one positive impact.
I’m with Massie. This “study” that says booze costs the average Scot 900 pounds a year smacks of a cost-without-benefit analysis designed to justify a tax hike.
How do people get money to do this sort of research? If it’s true, then a campaign to promote internet porn might do more good than the current iteration of healthcare (well, for men, at least).
You have to wonder when all the Right Wingers who agitated for the Duke Lacrosse players will take up this case. I’m also curious as to why the victim was not allowed to be cross-examined.
Sarah Palin vs. Algore. Dumb and Dumberer. I can’t believe that either of them are touted as leaders. But I do think she has a point: Algore did just up and quit halfway through his term of office. Oh, wait…
I definitely will not link to this sick and twisted piece of hilarity.
Stimulus spending is at least stimulating the richest part of the country.
Hmmm. You have to wonder what the smoke crusaders will make of this.
So let me get this straight. The projection that people will get more “souped-up” healthcare plans and spend more money on healthcare is a selling point of reform? Right.
When even James Hansen thinks cap and trade is dumb, it must be dumb. This is pretty standard for global warming policy these days — set big important goals decades down the road, do nothing now. A carbon tax is simple, directly attacks the problem, can be adjusted. It would be even better if the revenue stream were countered with a corporate flat tax.
In other climate news, Scientific American has a good, if sarcastic and smug, response to anti-global warming claims. Informative article but their condescending tone is part of the problem with persuading the critics.
What? Not another sex scandal involving one of these uber-moral conservatives standing against homosexual hedonism?
Wonderful. The Iraqis are using pseudoscience to find bombs.
I agree with Lindsay Graham. The GOP can not get too fixated on ideological purity if they want to become a political force again. There are many districts, particularly in the northeast, where a hardline conservative can’t win but a moderate can. If the GOP runs such moderates, they won’t get their “pure” conservative Congress. But they will shift the Congressional Gaussian significantly to the right.
The Dems want to put nutritional info on vending machines. I guess because putting it in restaurants worked so well.
Occasionally, the Obama Administration makes me happy. When they are at least acknowledging the problems that Sarbanes-Oxley has created, that’s a good thing. And more than the last “pro-business” Administration did.
I have this crazy idea that one day government will fix problems before they blow up in our face.
Why the GOP is still irrelevant. They can’t even come up with earmark reform.
Megan McArdle explores the idea that the VA is a model for healthcare reform. The most important point? The VA provides less than half of the healthcare veterans need and receive.
The New Yorker asks why our murder rate is so high. I reject all the conventional arguments, which seem to be focus on our not worshiping government enough.
It’s like watching a root-docter, who’s just performed a heart transplant, try to explain why the patient is dead. I deeply suspect that this is all unexceptional. There is no fool-proof anything in this world–least of all a death penalty.
I am lying here with my jaw in my lap. This is the government we are trusting with the power of life and death.
That ticker on the death penalty just moved a step closer to oppose.
How in the blue fuck does this guy stay on the police force? Who’s doing the background checks around here?
Anatomy of a right wing smear job. I’m getting more and more embarrassed by these jokers.
Speaking of embarrassing “conservatives”, watch Colbert demolish Glenn Beck. It’s scary that Colbert’s joke image isn’t as far out there as Beck’s “real” one.
Police are stopping and searching a million people a year. What is this? The Soviet Union?
Rick Perry needs to resign. Executing an innocent man is bad enough. What Perry is doing is criminal.
That Barack Obama. There he goes again, cutting and running in Afghanistan. Oh, wait. No he’s not.
A question. If a business is too big to fail, should the Feds break it up into divisions that aren’t too big to fail? Is the existence of such a business as great a threat to our nation as criminal and foreign armies? Ah, well. Given the Groupthink of the financial industry, there really is no difference in having big business vs. small ones.
And people wonder why tort reform is such a big deal to doctors. Brilliant article from Philip Howard looks into solutions.
A new study find CO2 levels track arctic ice levels. Let’s see if the global warming denier acknowledge this study the same way they’ll acknowledge a study that disputes an aspect of global warming.
It’s no surprise to me that more religious states have higher teen birth rates, although I suspect there’s a correlation-causation thing going on.
I have to say that I’m kind of against mandatory flu vaccinations even though I generally favor mandating vaccination. One factor here is that the flu vaccine is not anywhere close to 100% effective.
Just when you thought the birthers couldn’t get any crazier.
A great piece from Jesse Walker argues that it’s not radical groups — left or right — who present the real violent threat in America. It’s the response.
Yes, more linkos. I’m in one of my more bloggy phases today.
The good and bad of Ted Kennedy. Balko as well. He could be a great man or he could be a petty power-hungry idealogue. And I have a known distaste for the entire Kennedy aristocracy. But I’m sorry for his family and friends.
I’m with Megan. Comparing just about any political philosophy that doesn’t involve killing people to fascism is just stupid.
Ha ha. The weird thing is that I remember these sort of “thing called the internet” piecs. But to today’s kids, they probably see like a joke.
I heavily blogged Richard Dawkins God Delusion as I read it (click the Religion tab on your right). I’m glad to see he has another book coming out. I think his take on religion is clumsy and needlessly aggressive. But his defense of evolutionary theory and science is outstanding. Granted, I may have a soft spot for anyone married to Romana.
What a great idea. While we’re at it, let’s burn down people’s houses so they can learn about the danger of arson (and stimulate the economy, if Cash for Clunkers is our guide).
Dominick Dunne recently passed. On Sully’s blog, they linked up his very long article about the murder of his daughter — actress Dominique Dunne — and the travesty of trial that ensued. Read and get angry.
Now that malpractice reform is back in the air, the legal profession is doing what they always do, using hired guns to muddy the waters with lies, distortions and half-truths.
Sorry, bitches. It’s the Blog Era. The compliant media might buy your line of crap. But we don’t. The best thing about this era is that all the information locked up in the general public’s head is available. We’re no longer at the mercy of talking heads.
Good luck with trying to privatize the post office. The idea is right; the will is non-existent.
Mints sent a guy to jail? Seriously? Yet another triumph in our stupid War on Drugs.
You stay classy, MSNBC. Show guns at an Obama rally, imply racist murderous intent, neglect to mention that the man carrying the weapon was black. Nicely done.
Yes another study concludes that high-speed rail is a boondoggle. But noting’s a boondoggle when it enriches powerful interests.
Le Illusion. As I said before, my patience with people who believe in “free” healthcare is limited.
Yes, elements of the Right have gotten ridiculously silly about healthcare (death panels? Really?) But let it not be said that the Left is also very very silly. I propose that we lock all these people up in a small room and let them fight it out while the rest of us run the country.