to see Robert Rubin’s name in a piece like this.

Continue reading " I Wondered How Long It Would Take "

Continue reading " 10:15/Saturday Night: Here’s Hoping "

A thoughtful column from Cenk Ungyar that jumps off from this Newsweek graf:
As NEWSWEEK reported last summer, President Bush approved more relaxed rules of engagement for U.S. forces along the Afghan-Pakistan border. The Pentagon once required “90 percent” confidence on the part of intelligence agencies that a “high-value target” was present before approving Predator strikes [...]

Continue reading " Guns Don’t Kill People, Presidents Do "

Pakistan’s Army is practising shooting down unmanned drones.  You know, like the US military uses.  The Danger Room story notes:
The U.S. and Pakistan supposedly have a “don’t ask, don’t tell” agreement when it comes to killer drone strikes on militant camps inside the country: American officials stay mum about the attacks, and their counterparts in [...]

Continue reading " Security Theater (That Matters) "

The opening track comes from the first cassette I ever purchased myself:

That was downright demure in comparison to the next:

The last was a little schlocky, but c’mon, it was a good bit of fun.  The last one skips the obvious for some.  Not for others.  Whether it’s NSFW depends on that distinction, I suppose:

(Last track [...]

Continue reading " Weekend Music: Greatest Love of All Edition "

like.
Awesome and nauseating, all at the same time.

Continue reading " This is What Money to Burn Looks . . . "

I am shocked the Lori Drew case actually went to trial - opening statements took place yesterday.  I wrote about this case back in August:
The Lori Drew case is a case full of disgusting facts - appalling adult behavior (on all sides) contributed to circumstances that drove a young girl to suicide.  One of those [...]

Continue reading " Lori Drew Case: On Track to Make Bad Law "

Not entirely sure what to think of Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano at DHS, but knowing that she is generally smart on immigration and was instrumental in the effort to knock down the REAL ID Act is encouraging.
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Glad to know that even the President Elect shouldn’t have a reasonable expectation of privacy with Verizon.
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A money bet [...]

Continue reading " Friday Notes: Expectations Edition "

And Rep. Henry Waxman will be heading up the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  This is encouraging in a number of ways.  First, we’ll have a person shaping the energy policy debate that isn’t wedded to Detroit.  Second, Waxman is not afraid of looking - and moving - into the future.  Finally, that Dingell - [...]

Continue reading " And Waxman Takes the Gavel "

Continue reading " Skyline "

Senator Russ Feingold kicks it off.  Personally, I think we’ve reached a point where it is has been so abused as to merit a complete revisiting of it.  At a minimum, it ought to be subject to a legislative override - perhaps by a supermajority.  The exercise of the pardon should be an act of [...]

Continue reading " Pardon Watch "

The New York Observer has an interesting few pages on CNN’s enormous spending on things that have very little, if anything, to do with actual newsgathering or analysis.  And it reminds me that I can’t remember the last time I watched CNN or turned to CNN.com for actual news.  I’m sure I’ve tuned into it [...]

Continue reading " The Future of “News” "

evar.

Continue reading " Worst Tourism Campaign "

The original was compelling enough:

But you’d never have imagined that there would not only be one, but *two*, that would surpass it:

and

Updated to replace the Willie Nelson video, which Sony BMG - in keeping with its music fan hating principles - has disabled for embedding.  It’s a shame so many of my old favorites are [...]

Continue reading " Midweek Makeover: Always On My Mind "

And I’m not talking about Atrios’ DFH (NTTAWWT).  The New Yorker takes a wonderful walk through the state of American beer from the perspective of (sorta) local brewer Dogfish Head.  In case any local readers don’t know, DFH operates a bar serving many of their less-available brews out at Seven Corners.  Of course, if you [...]

Continue reading " In Praise of DFH "

and it will stay that way, no matter how much the rightwing noise machine would like to say otherwise.

Continue reading " Repeat After Me: The Fairness Doctrine Is Dead "

I know Andrew Sullivan isn’t the best source to go to for HRC criticism, but he poses an excellent question - where was the HRC on Prop 8?

Continue reading " Prop 8: Where Was the Human Rights Campaign? "

Looks like the Senate wanted to get out in front of Obama and be the first to disappoint us.  Senate Democrats are rewarding Joe Lieberman for questioning the President-Elect’s most basic intentions, and keeping Lieberman in a chairmanship for which he has demonstrated little interest in actually using for the public good.  Great job, guys.
Update: [...]

Continue reading " Democratic Disappointment Starts Early "

Sigh.

Continue reading " Dept. of Things You’d Rather Not Know "

TPM highlights an op-ed piece at Defense News, which warns against of a number of bad ideas currently being put into action, not the least of which is:
The uniformed services are trying to lock in the next administration by creating a political cost for holding the line on defense spending. Conservative groups are hoping to [...]

Continue reading " Moving the Bar: Military Budget Games "