December 2009
29 posts
Terrorism Still Less Deadly in US Than Lack of... →
Since we still seem to be having a national freakout over some loser who got on a plane with a bomb in his underwear, which was apparently worthy of a presidential address, it might be a good idea to put the actual danger posed by terrorist attacks in some numerical perspective.
If you count the Ft. Hoot shooting as a terrorist attack, which even the likes of Pantload doesn’t, 16 people have...
Will Republican DeMint Apologize for Endangering... →
Republican Jim DeMint Continues to Endanger American Air Safety by Refusing to Confirm TSA Administrator
Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) has been busy doing what Republicans do when they’re not filibustering legislation these days; he’s been blocking Obama’s appointment of the TSA administrator, Errol Southers, who is a well-regarded counter-terrorism expert.
“Marshall McClain, the president of the Los...
Al Franken's Anti-Rape Amendment Passes,... →
FRANKEN AMENDMENT BECOMES LAW…. In October, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) proposed a key amendment to the 2010 Defense Appropriations bill. Yesterday, it was signed into law.
Motivated by the harrowing violence Jamie Leigh Jones sufferedin 2005 while working for Halliburton/KBR in Iraq, Franken pushed a measure to withhold defense contracts from companies that “restrict their employees...
‘Iranian Cyber Army’ briefly takes Twitter offline... →
Popular microblogging site Twitter was briefly shut down overnight, its home page replaced with an image claiming the site had been hacked by the “Iranian Cyber Army.”
The website’s official blog acknowledged the disruption but gave no details as to how the site had been disrupted and who was responsible.
“Last night, DNS settings for the Twitter Web site were...
Kucinich: ‘Class war is over, working people lost’ →
WASHINGTON — Reflecting on the growing divide between Wall Street and Main Street, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) on Wednesday offered a powerful critique on the state of the economy in an open committee hearing.
“The class warfare is over — we lost,” Kucinich said before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. “I want to make that announcement today. Working...
Spiller Named First-team AP All-American →
Clemson, SC — Clemson running back and kick returner C.J. Spiller was named a first –team All-American all-purpose player by the Associated Press on Tuesday. It completed a sweep of first-team honors for Spiller, who was also named to the Sporting News, Rivals.com, and Scout.com teams Tuesday.
Spiller is just the third unanimous All-American in Clemson history. He joins Terry Kinard, a unanimous...
Joe Lieberman undercuts his wife →
If he really cared about women’s health, Hadassah’s new cause, he’d get out of the way of healthcare reform
By Joe Conason
When Joe Lieberman announced his threat to filibuster against any healthcare reform bill that includes a public option, it was natural to suspect the influence of his wife, Hadassah, and the insurance-pharmaceutical-lobbying complex that employed her for...
McGovern: War in Afghanistan ‘another Vietnam’ →
by Agence France-Presse
A liberal patriarch of the US Democratic Party on Sunday blasted President Barack Obama’s decision to send more US troops to Afghanistan, saying he was “astounded” by the escalation of the war.
“Today, I am astounded at the Obama administration’s decision to escalate the equally mistaken war in Afghanistan,” George McGovern, a former...
By Monopolizing the seed market through predatory... →
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Confidential contracts detailing Monsanto Co.’s business practices reveal how the world’s biggest seed developer is squeezing competitors, controlling smaller seed companies and protecting its dominance over the multibillion-dollar market for genetically altered crops, an Associated Press investigation has found.
With Monsanto’s patented genes being inserted into roughly 95...
A Day in the Internet →
A snazzy infograph shows us what a day in the internet looks like (get ready for huge numbers), Google Groups gets added to your Google Apps accounts, and the Boxee Box isn’t much bigger than a can of Coke.
WatchGov. Sanford gets the SNL treatment. Not a great impression, but it has it’s moments.
Health Insurers Caught Paying Facebook Gamers... →
Health insurance industry trade groups opposed to President Obama’s health care reform bill are paying Facebook users fake money — called “virtual currency” — to send letters to Congress protesting the bill.
Here’s how it’s happening:
Facebook users play a social game, like “FarmVille” or “Friends For Sale.” They get addicted to...
Top Things that would Redeem Obama's Peace Prize →
The world has noted the irony that President Barack Obama is delivering his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize after launching an escalation of the Afghanistan war. Of course, the critique is a little misplaced, since the prize is for a specific policy success, not for being a pacifist.
Still, Mr. Obama was clearly given the prize to encourage him in the direction of peace. It is the...
N.C.A.A. Scrutiny Seen on Tennessee’s Recruiting →
The N.C.A.A. is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into the University of Tennessee’s football recruiting practices, according to interviews with several prospects, their family members and high school administrators. A significant part of the investigation is focused on the use of recruiting hostesses who have become folk heroes on Tennessee Internet message boards for their ability to help...
The C Street House no longer tax exempt – The... →
The infamous house on C Street in Washington, the home away from home for philandering fundamentalists that billed itself as a ‘church’ is now taxed.
YWAM (Youth With a Mission) says it no longer owns the building which rents out to congress-critters connected to The Family. According to the Washington Post, ‘C Street Center, Inc.,’ is listed as current owner.
Doug Coe is currently the leader of...
Kucinich: Prolonging Afghan war a ‘threat to our... →
Far from being a necessary part of the US’s national security strategy, the Afghanistan war is actually a threat to it, says Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich.
In a statement released two days after President Barack Obama announced a 30,000-troop surge for the war effort and a July, 2011, beginning for troop withdrawal, Kucinich argued that extending the war would destabilize the United...
MIT analysis backs Obama →
A new analysis by a leading MIT economist provides new ammunition for Democrats as the Senate begins formally debating the historic health-reform bill being pushed by President Barack Obama.
The report concludes that under the Senate’s health-reform bill, Americans buying individual coverage will pay less than they do for today’s typical individual market coverage, and would be protected...
Addicted to Nonsense by Chris Hedges →
Will Tiger Woods finally talk to the police? Who will replace Oprah? (Not that Oprah can ever be replaced, of course.) And will Michaele and Tareq Salahi, the couple who crashed President Barack Obama’s first state dinner, command the hundreds of thousands of dollars they want for an exclusive television interview? Can Levi Johnston, father of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s grandson,...