- ‘A Man Turning Back on Himself’
- [Ta-Nehisi Coates : The Atlantic]
This is an excellent piece on Congressman Peter King's past as a supporter of one terrorist group, turned alleged inquisitor of another:…
This is a really complex story, so please read the whole thing. I really appreciate that Scott Shane, the author, was able to point out King's contradictions, while at the same time noting that Al Qaeda and the IRA are not same thing. I think beyond Peter King, the story does a good job of taking the term "terrorist" beyond the category of political slur…
In that effort, I present this excerpt from Fog of War. I've never understood why, say, the firebombing of Tokyo wasn't terrorism. If you haven't seen this doc, do so immediately. McNamara maintains that he and Curtis LeMay were "acting as war criminals," while at the same time not faulting Truman for dropping the atomic bomb.
- The Perfect Body, as Illustrated by Olympic Athletes
- [Sociological Images - Lisa Wade]
Olympic athletes are among the go-to examples of the ideal human form. And popular culture — from diet pills, to gyms, low-calorie foods, weight loss clinics, and fat camps — all promise to deliver you this ONE perfect body. In a photography project dramatically challenging this narrative, Howard Schartz and Beverly Ornstein offer photographs of Olympic athlete with gorgeously and gloriously divergent bodies. No more needs to be said:…
- Maryland Delegate comes out of the closet just prior to marriage vote
- [Prop 8 Trial Tracker]
- Fox Changes Stance On Town Hall Protesters When Republicans Are Targeted
- [Media Matters for America - J.V.B.]
- Qaddafi’s Scorched Earth Policy, at Home and Abroad
- [Informed Comment - Juan]
Muammar Qaddafi is still trying to play the al-Qaeda card, arguing that his murderous regime is what stands between Europe and the emigration to it of thousands of Muslim extremists. He told Turkish television that his regime is a key element of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, and its fall would bring chaos there, including to Israel.
So, who knew? Qaddafi is the guarantor of Israel’s security and that of Europe? It is a desperate attempt to induce caution with regard the growing move in the West toward some sort of military intervention to prevent Tripoli from massacring the rebels.
- They Won’t Even Create Jobs in the Military-Industrial Complex Anymore
- You know how I have argued that our country does have an industrial plan, one that is commonly called the Military-Industrial Complex? The government dumps seemingly unlimited amount of money into selected projects. Defense companies make sure to spread the jobs created by defense contracts around, so members of Congress support those contracts in bipartisan fashion. And then we export things like jets – one of the few things we export anymore.
Only, if we allow defense contractors to use prison labor, then the whole scheme sort of breaks down.
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- Dumbest Quote of the Day: On High-Speed Rail
- Can we think about this for a while? He's criticizing rail for not making enough money back. When exactly have roads ever paid for themselves? When we do toll up roads, people are outraged (occasionally justifiably).
With gas prices at or above $4, can we just finally quit the ridiculous canard that roads are a good long-term solution?
- Hey grandma, Rick Santorum thinks you’re a junkie
- Americans are "hooked" on food, shelter and medicine, the immoral bastards.
- Central Valley’s Clout Expected to Climb – The Bay Citizen
- Redistricting is typically a politically driven task that state legislators use to protect incumbents. But this year, the job of redrawing lines will be turned over to the newly minted 14-member Citizens Redistricting Commission, established under a voter-approved initiative in 2008. The bipartisan panel is tasked with ensuring that California's Senate, Assembly, State Board of Equalization and congressional districts hew to the natural boundaries of cities and counties. And unlike past years, awkwardly shaped districts engineered to favor incumbents will not be permitted…
The implications are that the Bay Area will see its political stature diminished in the state Legislature and in its congressional delegation…
[Click through to pg 2 for interactive charts]
- Dueling Documents Filed over Same-Sex Marriage Stay – Pulse of the Bay – The Bay Citizen
- On Feb. 23, two same-sex couples filed a motion with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to allow marriages to proceed. Since then, parties ranging from the ACLU Foundation of Northern California to state Attorney General Kamala Harris to the city of San Francisco have joined in asking for the stay to be lifted. The latest letter was filed Tuesday morning by the Courage Campaign, an advocacy group.
The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times have also weighed in with editorials: “Enough already. Gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to wed while the case works its way through the system,” the LA Times urged.
On Monday, supporters of Prop. 8 filed their response…
So far, no other documents have been filed with the court in favor of keeping the stay in place…
- Republicans Move To Strip Detainee Authority From Holder And Future Attorneys General | TPMDC
- Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) are teaming up with Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee to write legislation that would take decisions about trying detainees out of the attorney general's hands and hand that power to the secretary of defense.
In the wake of the White House's new executive order allowing Guantanamo detainees to be held indefinitely, [HASC] Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA) unveiled legislation that would, among other things, affirm the military's right to detain, hold and interrogate detainees at its discretion without [DOJ] or Attorney General Eric Holder involvement…
Such legislation could attract significant Democratic support, considering Democrats' willingness to buck Obama's attempts to shutter Guantanamo Bay…
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- Senior Democratic Senators To Obama: Please Engage On Budget Talks | TPMDC
- Distracted by world events and crisscrossing the country talking about job creation, President Obama these Democrats say is shrinking from the heavy lifting required to leverage the full weight of the White House to sell smaller spending cuts to the American people and gain an edge in the negotiations…
When asked what Feinstein thought would help Democrats gain an upper hand she was blunt: "Presidential leadership."
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) said the fight is being framed as cuts or no cuts, when the debate the country should be having is about spending priorities…
Vice President Joe Biden, who helped negotiate a tax-cut deal with Republicans in December, held budget talks with congressional leaders last week and was designated as the White House point-person on the negotiations. But Biden and his family are traveling in Finland and Moldova, leaving a week-long vacuum on the White House position during crucial budget talks in Washington.
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- Official: Peter King Represents ‘Majority Perspective’ Of Federal Law Enforcement | TPMMuckraker
- Polls show the American public is somewhat split on the hearings, with 56 percent calling the hearings a good idea, according to a poll by the Public Religion Research Institute in partnership with Religion News. But 72 percent of those surveyed for the poll said that Congress should investigate religious extremism anywhere it exists and not just focus on the Muslim community.
[My bookmarks live at delicious.com/camryl. In case it needs to be said: I don't agree with every word of everything I link to. Also, signal boosts are awesome! --L.]
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