meme orandum
| A newfangled news tangle |
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Brazilian Town Declares Orgasm Day AP — Permalink RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Sex rarely makes the news in Brazil's conservative Northeast — until a small town declared an official Orgasm Day on Monday. Espertantina Mayor Felipe Santolia endorsed the May 9 holiday, which he said was intended to improve relationships between married couples. | |
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Avedon Carol: Oh, and welcome to Zombo.com. Brazilian Town Declares Orgasm Day. Chris Lawrence: All for the nookie — Somehow I missed Orgasm Day yesterday (þ: Glenn Reynolds). K. J. Lopez: WHAT WOULD THE LEFT DO if the Bush administration promoted abstinence ed for the kids and this for the married folk? |
Gary Farber: In Brazil: [snipped quote] Why, yes, so have I! (Okay, context, and, okay, it's merely a Very Good Straight Line — but that doesn't make for a good header.) Joe Gandelman: A Truly Arousing Holiday In Brasil — Now, here's a holiday that even teenagers would enjoy: [snipped quote] Well let you read the details for yourself. Glenn Reynolds: SOMETHING YOU'RE ONLY LIKELY TO READ over at Tyler Cowen's blog: [snipped quote] — UPDATE: Meanwhile, yesterday was Orgasm Day in Brazil. |
Frist plans to use 'option' on nomination of Owen By / Washington Times — Permalink Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist plans for Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen to be the judicial nomination on which he uses the "nuclear option" against Democratic filibusters later this month, according to Republicans familiar with his plans. | |
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Jesse Taylor: Fili-Bust-A-Bus — Bill Frist is setting up to use the nuclear option on Priscilla Owen, according to the Washington Times. Joe Gandelman: Some other indications that Nuclear D-Day is approaching: —According to the Washington Times, Frist already has the... Captain Ed: The Washington Times reports today that Frist has decided to pull the trigger on the Byrd option using Priscilla Owen's nomination as the catalyst. |
Ezra Klein: Fila-Bust-A-Bus — Bill Frist is setting up to use the nuclear option on Priscilla Owen, according to the Washington Times. Avedon: And then there's this nuclear option thing - why would they be willing to remove any possibility of stopping majority... Betsy Newmark: The Washington Times reports that Frist will use Priscilla Owen's nomination as the vote to break the Democrats' filibustering. |
| Also: Taegan Goddard, Francis J. Beckwith, Avedon Carol, Dr. Steven Taylor, Evan Smith, Steve Dillard, K. J. Lopez | |
Liberals defeated on 'confidence' vote - but they ignore the result National Post — Permalink OTTAWA - The federal government waded into uncharted constitutional waters Tuesday night after the Liberals were narrowly defeated in a vote the Conservatives say should topple the fragile minority government, but Prime Minister Paul Martin says he will ignore. | |
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Chris Lawrence: Kate also has a post at Outside the Beltway, with a link to another news story on today's events. Steve Bainbridge: Canadian Constitutional Crisis — Our friends to the north are having a wee political tempest over the Liberal's failure to resign after losing a de facto vote of no confidence. |
Kate @OTB: Paul Martin: From Rogue "Group" To Rogue Government 153 - 150. Paul Martin's "rogue group" is now a rogue government. |
Know Thy Allies By / Slate — Permalink After World War I, the political right in Germany developed a myth called the "stab in the back" theory to explain its people's defeat. Though military leaders had helped negotiate the war's end, they fixed blame on civilian leaders—especially Jews, socialists, and liberals—for "betraying" the brave German fighting men. | |
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Kevin Drum: David Greenberg provides a more detailed history if you're interested. But here's what I'm curious about: why did Bush mention Yalta at all? Pejman Yousefzadeh: OF "MCCARTHYITES" AND FALSE ALARMS — Guest-blogging at Daniel Drezner's site, David Greenberg points to his... |
Josh Marshall: And I'm glad to see it is already garnering a slowly-rising chorus of criticism. David Greenberg: Last weekend, he endorsed a similar view of the Yalta accords. My take at Slate. |
Possible Voter Fraud Found in Milwaukee By / AP — Permalink MILWAUKEE — About 4,500 more ballots than registered voters were cast in the election last November in Milwaukee, investigators said Tuesday. Also, more than 200 felons voted improperly in Milwaukee, and more than 100 instances of suspected double-voting were found. | |
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Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Democrats find 4.500 votes more than Registered Voters — What is the bigger crime. Michelle Malkin: Incredible, but no surprise to bloggers who've been on this from the get-go: [snipped quote] The U.S. Attorney downplays the story, noting that no "widespread conspiracy" was found. |
Captain Ed: WaPo Smells The Cheese ... Finally — The Washington Post has finally sniffed out the Silence of the Cheese, the... |
Appeals Court Sides With Cheney in Lawsuit By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Tuesday ordered dismissal of a lawsuit seeking to force Vice President Dick Cheney to reveal details about the energy policy task force he headed and the pro-industry recommendations it made. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: Between the Cheney Appeals ruling this morning and the Halliburton bonuses, VP Dick Cheney just became public enemy #1 with Libs again. Michelle Malkin: TWO APPEALING DECISIONS — Just in... Appeals Court Sides With Cheney in Lawsuit: "The Sierra Club and Judicial Watch... Jonathan H. Adler: Story here; opinion here. |
Jamie Court: Cheney-Lay Energy Secrets Safe — A Federal Appeals Court has ruled that Vice President Dick Cheney need not publicly... Cookie Jill: courts decision on cheney not appealing to us so it's ok to not take into consideration the country's well being when discussing energy, environment, etc.? |
Bombs Bursting on Air By / NYT — Permalink If a man-bites-dog story is news and dog-bites-man isn't, why are journalists still so interested in man-blows-up-self stories? I realize that we have a duty to report suicide bombings in the Middle East, especially when there's a spate as bad as in recent weeks. | |
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Scott Rosenberg: Today the New York Times' rookie conservative columnist, John Tierney, offers a variation on the See No Evil argument... Richard Reeb: John Tierney, the new face at the New York Times to replace the retiring William Safire (thanks to my fellow blogger Ken... Steve M.: John Tierney is getting a lot of criticism for his suggestion that the press should give less coverage than it does now... |
Jim Dallas: Granted, such journalism appears to get the John Tierney seal of approval, but I think we can all agree with Tbogg about John Tierney. Jesse Taylor: Ready Made Excuses — I'm a libertarian. Let's stop talking about casualties in Iraq - it's all the same anyway. Tbogg: Probably because Tierney has lost the will to report. If a man-bites-dog story is news and dog-bites-man isn't, why are... |
| Also: Ed Cone, Cliff May, Jim Romenesko, Jeff Jarvis, Attaturk, Paperwight @BOPNews, Cori Dauber | |
Halliburton gets bonus for Iraq work Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army said on Tuesday it had awarded $72 million in bonuses to Halliburton Co. (NYSE:HAL - news) for logistics work in input type="hidden" name="c1" value=" "/ Iraq but had not decided whether to give the Texas company bonuses for disputed dining services to troops. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: Not a Good Day for Libs and Democrats — First there was news this morning that Dick Cheney had won the appeal and now... Jayson @PoliPundit: Cue the Imperial Theme Music — For one of the primary banes of the left's existence is back in the news. {gulp} |
Cookie Jill: $72 million could buy alot of armor reuters reported tuesday that halliburton co. |
L.A. Times Launches First Stage of Yearlong Web Redesign LAT — Permalink The Los Angeles Times today launched the first stage of a year-long initiative to improve and expand the newspaper's Internet offerings, with a special emphasis on utility for Southern Californians. As part of this effort, The Times also today reintroduced free access to calendarlive.com. | |
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Gary Farber: YES, WELL, it's terribly nice that the LA Times is so proud of their new web design that they want to announce it to the... Robert Tagorda: Los Angeles Times Begins Year-Long Web Overhaul — My hometown paper finally comes to its senses: L.A. Times Launches... |
Kevin Roderick: The welcome letter from general manager Robertson Barrett explains that it works for "the majority of Internet users." Virginia Postrel: The changes are explained here. For all its flaws (see Kausfiles for running commentary), the LAT is a good newspaper that deserves a national readership. |
A GOP Plan to 'Fix' the Democrats By / WaPo — Permalink The stakes in politics are about to get a lot higher. The partisan battles in the coming weeks — on judges, Social Security and the future of Tom DeLay — are part of a larger struggle in which Republicans are seeking to establish themselves as the dominant party in American politics. | |
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Avedon Carol: E.J. Dionne explains the GOP Plan to 'Fix' the Democrats and why it means smart Democrats are fighting back (and only stupid ones would do otherwise). Edward _: As E.J. Dionne Jr. explains in the Washington Post today: "The partisan battles in the coming weeks — on judges,... Barbara O'Brien: But I digress. comradecopy.jpgE.J. Dionne writes in today's Washington Post that what the GOP really wants to do may be less nuclear than, um, surgical. |
Joe Gandelman: E.J. Dionne, Jr. says this isn't an isolated case, but part of a larger, overall plan to relegate the Democrats to... Steve Soto: E. J. Dionne, Jr. astutely points out why Democrats are fighting Bush and the GOP tooth and nail on judges, Social... Betsy Newmark: E. J. Dionne seems appalled that Republicans act like politicians and want to cement their control of the Congress. |
No. 2 at State Dept. Was Said to Put Restrictions on Bolton By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 9 - A new portrayal of John R. Bolton describes him as having so angered senior State Department officials with his public comments that the deputy secretary of state, Richard L. Armitage, ordered two years ago that Mr. Bolton be blocked from delivering speeches and testimony unless they were personally approved by Mr. Armitage. | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: It is accompanied by this piece by Douglas Jehl discussing yet another personality charge made against Bolton. Steve Soto: And this will override any new revelations about Bolton being a lunatic whom Colin Powell had muzzled. Laura Rozen: The NYT has more on Bolton's bizarre fixation with ElBaradei, as witnessed by Powell's chief of staff Larry Wilkerson |
Joe Gandelman: Amid a spate of reports indicating high GOPers believe his nomination will pass, John Bolton's image received another... James Joyner: No. 2 at State Dept. Was Said to Put Restrictions on Bolton (NYT) [snipped quote] If Wilkerson's testimony is... Pudentilla: for republicans, bolton nomination turns on internal polling — [snipped quote] the author appears to assume that for... |
Father charged in girls' deaths CNN — Permalink ZION, Illinois (CNN) — Police have taken Jerry Hobbs into custody and charged him with murdering his 8-year-old daughter, Laura, and her best friend, 9-year-old Krystal Tobias. The second-grade classmates are believed to have been stabbed to death Sunday on Mother's Day. | |
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Armed Liberal: And today, I read of a father who has been charged with murdering his eight year old daughter and her nine year old friend. |
Red @ScaredMonkeys: More from the Chicago Sun Times Update: From the AP, "Father Arrested in Slaying of Two Girls" More from CNN |
Bolton aide targets State Dept. bureau in dispute By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top aide to John Bolton, President Bush's embattled nominee as U.N. envoy, threatened to diminish the role of the State Department's intelligence bureau because of a dispute over analyzing China's missile export controls, according to declassified e-mails. | |
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Steve Clemons: In these, Reuters submits that Bolton's Chief of Staff, Fred Fleitz, threatened to "diminish the role" of the Intelligence and Research Bureau. |
Laura Rozen: Here's Reuter's Carol Giacomo from one hour ago: [snipped quote] Looks like Lugar is just going to have to postpone the... |
Women Returning to Democratic Party, Poll Finds By / WaPo — Permalink The gender gap is now 25 years old and, according to recent polling, it is alive and well. A Democratic polling memo released yesterday found that women, who voted for President Bush last year in large numbers, have begun migrating back to their... | |
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Joe Gandelman: Women Leaving GOP For Democratic Party — A new poll suggests that women are now returning to their traditional fold —... Michael J. Totten: Republicans Slipping — From the Washington Post. [snipped quote] I doubt women are the only ones doing a re-think on this one. Taegan Goddard: Women Returning to Democratic Party — [snipped quote] the Washington Post reports. Link | Related News |
Steve Soto: Tuesday Morning Quick Hits — A new poll finds that with the 2004 election behind them and even the White House now... Xan @Corrente: WaPo again: "A Democratic polling memo released yesterday found that women, who voted for President Bush last year in... |
The Super-Lobbyist's "Friend" By / American Prospect — Permalink Take pity on poor Bob Ney, who insists he's just another victim of lobbyist Jack Abramoff and public-relations consultant Michael Scanlon. Unlike the half-dozen Indian tribes that paid about $82 million to that scamming duo, however, the U.S. representative at... | |
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Ezra Klein: According to the Prospect, Bob Ney was on the take as well. Interesting stuff. Laura Rozen: Jack Abramoff's other "victim," Ohio Republican Rep. Bob Ney. The American Prospect's Art Levine has the story. |
Matthew Yglesias: Today our website is featuring one part of that article, the sordid story of Bob Ney: [snipped quote] Article contains... Max B. Sawicky: BUM OF THE MONTH — Meet Bob Ney, one of Tom DeLay's partners in crime. |
U.S. Says Fighting Pauses in Western Iraq as Rebels Regroup By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 10 - Insurgents who control parts of the western Iraqi desert appeared to have fallen back to regroup as the Marines prepared a new assault on a force of more than 200 fighters hiding or roaming the towns and desert in the remote areas just east of the Syrian border, a Marine commander said today. | |
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Donald Sensing: Bill Roggio has details, including the report that the bad men are trying to stand their ground and fight (they have... |
Stephen: For Beth — Marines Kicking Ass in Western Iraq "Insurgents who control parts of the western Iraqi desert appeared to... |
Reid: GOP Preparing for Court Nomination By / AP — Permalink (05-10) 15:33 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid accused President Bush on Tuesday of trying to steamroll the Senate in preparation for a Supreme Court vacancy. The Senate's top Republican said a filibuster showdown over judicial nominations could come as early as next week. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: Et tu, Kenneth? Even Ken Starr thinks the Republican plan to "break the rules to change the rules" is a bad idea:... |
Mark R. Levin: According to AP, Ken Starr tells CBS Evening News that [a filibuster-rule change would be] a "radical, radical departure... |
The Jews have a mission: Judeo-Christian values: Part XII By / Townhall.com — Permalink Ask believing Christians — probably from as young as 8 years of age — what their mission as Christians is, and it is overwhelmingly likely they will answer, "to bring people to Christ" or "spread the Gospel." Ask any non-Christian what the Christian mission is, and you will get the same answer. | |
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Ezra Klein: Stupid Jews — So speaketh Dennis Prager, in part XII of his written-for-eventually-re maindered-publication book, "Judeo-Christian Values". Orrin Judd: ONE GOD, ALL ELSE FOLLOWS: The Jews have a mission: Judeo-Christian values (Dennis Prager, May 10, 2005, Townhall)... |
Sadly, No!: Our buddy Dennis Prager has written another classic column about Judeo-Christian values, and while I normally find... Roger Ailes: Dennis Prager, Idiot — "In no country except the United States have Jews felt fully a member of the national group in which they lived." |
Once Again, the Big Yalta Lie By / LAT — Permalink During his visit to the Baltics over the weekend, President Bush infuriated Russian leader Vladimir V. Putin by declaring the obvious: that the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe was "one of the greatest wrongs of history." | |
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Matt Welch: Jacob Heilbrunn, for instance, has a mad-as-hell column today titled Once Again, the Big Yalta Lie, that puts forth the... Orrin Judd: NO, I LIKE THIS SPOT BETTER: Once Again, the Big Yalta Lie (Jacob Heilbrunn, May 10, 2005, LA Times) [snipped quote] In... |
David Greenberg: Along with the indefatigable Arthur M. Schlesinger, add Jacob Heilbrunn at the LA Times to those pointing out the ugliness of Bush's remarks. |
Rolling Stones announce world tour By / Newsday — Permalink To the tune of "Start Me Up," the Rolling Stones played an energetic, three-song set on a stage outside The Juilliard School in Manhattan yesterday to announce their 2005 world tour. The set also featured a new song, "Oh No, Not You Again" and ended with "Brown Sugar." | |
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Roger L. Simon: My birthday's in November (age to be determined) and these guys (ages to be determined) are going to be in Anaheim on the 4th and SF on the 13th of that month. |
Josh Marshall: Rolling Stones announce new world tour. Yes, some things are bigger than politics. |
The Answer Is in the Works NRO — Permalink The real negotiations haven't taken place yet. Today begins the fifth year of waiting for confirmation for some of President Bush's nominees to the federal courts of appeals. | |
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Eugene Oregon: Better Yet, Let's Start Counting at 8 — Byron York has a new piece on yet another potential compromise on the... Steve Dillard: Byron York on the judicial nominations impasse here. |
Paul @PowerLine: Such a deal — Byron York NRO suggests that there's a deal in the works whereby the Republicans would give up their... |
U.S. conservatives to rally around Tom DeLay By / Reuters — Permalink "/ President Bush's key proposals, gather on Thursday to show solidarity with embattled Republican House leader Tom DeLay and pressure wavering supporters to stay in his corner. | |
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Evan Smith: DeLay of Game — Could the conservative activists responsible for Thursday's Tom DeLay tribute please explain how to take the fact that they're so very publicly standing by him? |
Jayson @PoliPundit: No, at this stage, we're finally starting to stand up and make some noise, instead of being the "silent majority" that... |
Woman awarded $45,000 in cat death By / Seattle Post-Intelligencer — Permalink A Seattle woman whose cat was mauled to death by a neighbor's dog was awarded more than $45,000 last week in her wrongful-death lawsuit against the dog's owner, her attorney announced yesterday. | |
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Acidman: I may have to re-think my philosophy. My truck is not worth forty-five thousand dollars. A dead cat is, according to a judge. |
K. J. Lopez: NEVERMIND ABOUT MY UNBORN FETUS — Moving on to the cat: "But in recent years, the legal community has debated whether... |
Nationalism's Psychotic Side By / LAT — Permalink Even decent people can be swept along by barbarism when a nation gets sick. When I was a kid in the Bronx during World War II, my mother got me to eat my vegetables by playing a war game in which the spinach or the broccoli were the Germans — the evil ones to be gobbled up. | |
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Avedon Carol: Robert Scheer draws no parallels in Nationalism's Psychotic Side - but you can hardly help yourself from seeing them anyway. |
Ken Masugi: Robert Scheer Remembers WW II — Recalling his early life in World War II, LAT columnist Robert Scheer explores his... |
Real wages fall at fastest rate in 14 years By / Financial Times — Permalink Real wages in the US are falling at their fastest rate in 14 years, according to data surveyed by the Financial Times. Inflation rose 3.1 per cent in the year to March but salaries climbed just 2.4 per cent, according to the Employment Cost Index. | |
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Chris Bowers: I do know, however, that this is not good: [snipped quote] Four years of flat job growth, and those who do have a job find their wages not keeping up with inflation. |
Stirling Newberry: Real Wages Plunge in March — Real Wages Plunge in March. As we would expect, Bush's popularity took a hit as well. |
States May Disobey Driver's License Rules By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — States are threatening to challenge in court and even disobey new orders from Congress to start issuing more uniform driver's licenses and verify the citizenship or legal status of people getting them. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: Hat Tip: The Immigration Blog >>> To add insult to injury we will just disregard the Driver License rules as well and... Michelle Malkin: AROUND THE 'SPHERE — News and views to go with your morning coffee... - States are threatening to disobey the Real ID Act. |
Chris Lawrence: Lamar! is among the senators opposed to the Real ID provisions… but they're going to be law anyway, thanks to a... Jeralyn Merritt: States May Buck Real ID Act — Several states are contemplating court action to fight implementation of the new drivers' license requirements contained in the Real ID Act. |
Hans Blix: U.S. Not Committed to Nuke Treaty AP — Permalink UNITED NATIONS — Washington isn't taking "the common bargain" of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (search) as seriously as it once did, and that's dimming global support for the U.S. campaign to shut down the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs, the former chief U.N. weapons inspector said. | |
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Scott Kirwin: North Korean Nukes All Our Fault According to Blix, New Scientist by Scott Kirwin In case you haven't noticed, North... |
Forkum: Blame Games — From FoxNews: Hans Blix: U.S. Not Committed to Nuke Treaty. |
United heads to bankruptcy court over pensions AP — Permalink CHICAGO - An overflow crowd of current and former United Airlines workers turned up at downtown bankruptcy court Tuesday, delaying a courtroom showdown between the carrier and its labor unions over its most radical attempt yet to slash costs. | |
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Christy @ThinkProgress: Why so angry? United Airlines is trying to dump its pension plan. |
Josh Marshall: Speaking of Bankruptcy ... From the AP: "A federal bankruptcy judge approved United Airlines' plan to terminate its... |
Frist: Filibuster showdown could come next week AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — A long-threatened showdown over changing Senate rules to stop Democratic filibusters of President Bush's judicial nominations could come as early as next week, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Tuesday. | |
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Joe Gandelman: The latest point-counterpoint in this political ballet — a ballet in which a group of dancers each goes off to the... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Sen. Reid Responds to Senator Frist — Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid is again being reasonable and trying to avoid a crisis over the nuclear option. |
U.S. court dismisses Cheney energy task force case Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit that sought details about Vice President Dick Cheney's 2001 energy policy task force that critics say secretly formed policy favorable to the industry. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: Vice President Cheney's energy task force was legally closed to public view. Senator Clinton's health care task force wasn't. |
Jayson @PoliPundit: Not Every Judge Has a Cement Head — Those lunatic liberal decisions get much more print space, and T.V. air play, but... |
Rebels in Western Iraq Under Siege By / LAT — Permalink RIBAT, Iraq — The casualties mounted Monday in remote Iraqi desert villages near the Syrian border after U.S. troops launched their largest offensive since last year's invasion of Fallouja. | |
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Joseph Britt: Solomon Moore recounts some anecdotes from action that occurred over a large area around the Euphrates River for the Los Angeles Times. |
Smash: Monday, they crossed to the north side of Euphrates into the Ramana region, where they have have encountered stiff... |
Mongolia sees Genghis Khan's good side IHT — Permalink ULAN BATOR "Genghis Khan wasn't really a bad guy," Elbegdorj Tsahkia, the Mongolian prime minister, said with a grin. "He just had bad press." He was only half joking. | |
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James Joyner: Mongolia sees Genghis Khan's good side (IHT) [snipped quote] Too bad for John Kerry that this is just hitting the press now. Orrin Judd: FUNNY TO RUN THIS STORY THE WEEK EVERYONE IS PRAISING STALIN: Mongolia sees Genghis Khan's good side (Jehangir S. Pocha,... |
Kerry Howley: Genghis Candy in Xanadu — Jehangir Pocha of the International Herald Tribune reports that the emergence of democracy in... |
What's federalism among friends? By / Washington Times — Permalink "The more things change, the more they remain the same," according to the long forgotten Frenchman Alphonse Karr. Take the bipartisan mauling of federalism. The Democrat Party earned harsh criticism from Republicans and scorching rebukes from the U.S. Supreme Court for chronic invasions of states' rights during the early years of the 1990s. | |
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Robert Clayton Dean: This time, really, a nice even-handed non-partisan bashing that indicts both Dems and Reps on federalism. Nick Gillespie: More interestingly, he then goes on a tear about the Republicans, who supposedly believe in federalism but have done... |
Ramesh Ponnuru: HOW NOT TO THINK ABOUT FEDERALISM — Bruce Fein provides a lesson. |
Senate's tax plan favors the wealthy By / Houston Chronicle — Permalink Despite offering limited tax relief for some of the poorest people, a Senate tax overhaul would raise taxes for most Texans, at least initially, legislative analysts reported Monday. | |
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Jim Dallas: This Headline Cannot Contain My Boiling Rage — Front page, H-Chron, today: [snipped quote] Sen. Steve Ogden (R-Bryan)... |
Charles Kuffner: Still having budget woes in the Senate — The Legislative Budget Board has released its analysis of the Senate budget... |
Payments to Help Hospitals Care for Illegal Immigrants By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 9 - The Bush administration announced on Monday that it would start paying hospitals and doctors for providing emergency care to illegal immigrants. The money, totaling $1 billion, will be available for services provided from Tuesday through September 2008. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: For all of you complaining that the US does not do enough for the homeless, education or the handicapped in the United... Mark Krikorian: SHOW ME THE MONEY — Washington is finally going to start reimbursing hospitals for a small percentage of the costs of providing emergency care for illegal aliens. |
Michelle Malkin: One wrinkle: hospitals are not required to ask patients if they are illegal aliens. |
Congress Job Approval at 35%, Lowest in Eight Years By / Gallup — Permalink PRINCETON, NJ — These are not good days for Congress. The latest Gallup survey shows that only 35% of Americans approve of the way Congress is handling its job, and almost 4 in 10 say most Republicans and, separately, most Democrats in Congress are unethical. | |
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Taegan Goddard: Congressional Approval Falls to Eight Year Low — "The latest Gallup survey shows that only 35% of Americans approve of... |
Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Gallup timed it to coincide with a poll that is designed to slam Congress. What a surprise. UGH! |
Bush's Call for Vote on Judges Adds Urgency to Filibuster Battle WaPo — Permalink President Bush yesterday called for an immediate vote on two of his most controversial judicial nominations, increasing pressure on Senate Republicans to consider a historic rule change that would make it easier for him, and future presidents, to reshape the federal bench, including the Supreme Court. | |
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Joe Gandelman: And if there was any question now where the White House stands on this issue it evaporated with this statement by... C. D. Harris: The Washington Post and the New York Times both traffic in the long since debunked myth that then-Texas Supreme Court... Hugh Hewitt: This Washington Post article on the showdown over the filibuster has a lot of the Democratic talking points about the... |
John @PowerLine: This morning's article by Jim VandeHei and Charles Babington in the Washington Post is one example among many. Ann Althouse: The Washington Post reports: "President Bush yesterday called for an immediate vote on two of his most controversial... Taegan Goddard: Meanwhile, the Washington Post highlights the real reason for the Senate rules fight: "The most far-reaching implication... |
| Also: Jeralyn Merritt | |
For Gay Men, an Attraction to a Different Kind of Scent By / NYT — Permalink Using a brain imaging technique, Swedish researchers have shown that homosexual and heterosexual men respond differently to two odors that may be involved in sexual arousal, and that the gay men respond in the same way as women. | |
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Pudentilla: funny, you don't smell like a... "gay men are found to have different scent of attraction - using a brain imaging... Cliff May: IS IT BECAUSE I'M A LESBIAN ... ...that I smell like this? |
Lindsay Beyerstein: Gay Men Smell Like Women — Well, not quite, but just as interesting: [snipped quote] Somehow I doubt you needed to do... |
Soak the Green By / Opinion Journal — Permalink As gas prices continue to top $2 a gallon, all those drivers of fuel-efficient cars may not have reason to gloat for much longer. Oregon is worried that too many Honda Insights and Toyota Priuses hitting the roads will rob it of the cash it expects out of its 24-cent-a-gallon tax. | |
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Dale Franks: Brendan Miniter reports that the state of Oregon, keen to keep fuel tax revenues high, are looking at a new tax, directed at drivers of fuel efficient hybrid cars and the like. |
Orrin Judd: GOOD IDEA, BAD TARGETING (via Tom Corcoran): Soak the Green: Oregon mulls a new tax that environmentalists and privacy advocates will hate. |
Nickelodeon slavery claim outrages Alamo keepers Reuters — Permalink SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - The latest shots in the Battle of the Alamo are being aimed at an unlikely target — the children's cable TV network Nickelodeon. Keepers of the Texas independence shrine in downtown San Antonio are outraged by a Nickelodeon short that said the 1836 battle there was fought so "white farmers could keep their slaves." | |
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Michelle Malkin: We watch quite a bit of Nickelodeon with our kids—Jimmy Neutron, Spongebob, Avatar—but I missed this (Nickelodeon... |
Kevin Aylward: American History, Nickelodeon-style... Nickelodeon slavery claim outrages Alamo keepers [Reuters] Via Michelle Malkin, who has additional details on the story. |
Jockeying Intensifies in Battle Over Judicial Nominees NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 9 - Democrats and Republicans in the Senate busied themselves on Monday with increasingly intense gamesmanship in the fight over President Bush's judicial choices. | |
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Taegan Goddard: The New York Times says by midweek, Republicans "expect to have in place at least four nominees... for a showdown over the rules." |
Pudentilla: frist wobbling on nuclear option — [snipped quote] although, we sure hope nelson isn't off the reservation on this one,... |
Poll: GOP Voters OK Stem Cell Research By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — Polling, advertising and grass-roots organizing, the pillars of a strong election campaign, now spill over routinely to congressional battles _ embryonic stem cell research among them. The embryonic stem cell issue flared during the 2004 presidential campaign and may soon come before the House. | |
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Ramesh Ponnuru: NEW STEM-CELL POLL — Here's David Espo of AP: "Republicans who dissent from President Bush's policy are circulating a... |
Kevin Drum: In a recent poll of Republicans — in which 90% approved of Bush's performance in general — a solid 57% said they favored embryonic stem cell research. |
Twilight of Conservatism NRO — Permalink We are living in false hope. The people of Britain have spoken, and the Labor party is back in power with a comfortable, if much diminished, majority of seats in parliament. The leader of the Conservative party has said he will step down, forcing the Tories to their fourth leadership election in eight years. | |
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TheAnchoress: Derb and Thom: gloomy and predicting doom! John Derbyshire is in a very bad mood and predicting that all is lost. |
Vox Day: Not optimistic about a conservative future — John Derbyshire writes on NRO: [snipped quote] Definitely a worthwhile read. |
The Not-So-Secret History of Filibusters By / NYT — Permalink EVERYONE recalls "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," but too few remember the real-life Mrs. Smith. So, as the Senate nears a vote on a proposal to unilaterally change Senate rules for confirming federal judges, I am reminded of the words spoken 55 years ago by... | |
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Edward _: They're successfully framing the "nuclear option" as the abuse of power it actually is. |
Hugh Hewitt: Former Democratic Majority Leader George Mitchell steps up with his fractured fairy tale of filibuster history this morning in the New York Times. |
For 3 GOP Senators, Vote Isn't Just About U.N. Pick By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — For the three Republican senators who have expressed reservations about John R. Bolton's nomination as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the committee vote set for Thursday is about much more than whether he is the best man for the job. | |
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Steve Soto: Because the far right American Taliban fringe that now controls the Bush/Rove/DeLay GOP will demand it as the price of admission for their support in 2008. |
Laura Rozen: And Mary Curtius at the LA Times reports on the political considerations for the three Republicans on the Senate Foreign... |
Secret Iranian Nuclear Weapons Program Suspected By / New York Sun — Permalink WASHINGTON - A secret, parallel military program to produce nuclear weapons may be behind Iran's announcement yesterday that it will break its agreement to suspend uranium enrichment. | |
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Laura Rozen: These are some of the thoughts I had reading this interesting piece by the NY Sun's Eli Lake today on Iran's "suspected" secret nuclear program. |
Rachel Z. Friedman: Meanwhile, reports about Iran's nuclear program have become increasingly troubling. |
Gov vetoes proposal to make English state's official language AP — Permalink Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed a bill Monday that would have made English the state's official language and required that government functions be conducted in English. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: I guess someone may want to remind Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano who according to the AP, "vetoed a bill Monday that... |
Michelle Malkin: Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoes a bill that would have made English Arizona's official language. |
Wired News Releases Source Review Wired News — Permalink MIT Technology Review Online on March 21 retracted two stories written in whole or in part by Michelle Delio, citing the publication's inability to confirm a source. On April 4, InfoWorld edited four articles by Delio to remove anonymous quotes. | |
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Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Wired News has put out a story asking for anyone quoted in these stories to step forward. |
Jim Romenesko: Prof can't find sources for many of Delio's Wired News stories — Wired News Journalism prof and Wired News columnist... |
DHS Considers Alternatives To Color-Coded Warnings By / WaPo — Permalink Responding to widespread criticism, Department of Homeland Security officials are considering changes to the color-coded terrorism warning system and other methods of providing more useful information to the public without causing panic or disclosing closely held intelligence. | |
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Xan @Corrente: Connect the Dots — Of course, neither of the writers of these stories saw any conceivable connection between... |
Cori Dauber: Blank Slate — The new DHS Secretary is considering a complete overhaul of the alert system. |
100 Rebels Killed in U.S. Offensive in Western Iraq By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 9 - A Marine task force swept through a wide area of western Iraq near the Syrian border, killing 100 insurgents and raiding desert outposts and city safe houses belonging to insurgents who have used the area to import cars, money, weapons,... | |
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Orrin Judd: TIME TO MANUFACTURE A BORDER INCIDENT: 100 Rebels Killed in U.S. Offensive in Western Iraq (RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.,... |
Cori Dauber: Straight News — The lead article in today's Times is the story of the major offensive on the Syrian border. |
Departing From Norm, President Gets Wiggly By / WaPo — Permalink TBILISI, Georgia, May 9 — Maybe it was his wife's televised teasing about going to bed so early, but "Mr. Excitement," as Laura Bush sarcastically dubbed the president a week ago, seemed eager to live up to the nickname Monday night. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: What was that a semi-chicken dance with the President wiggling his hips? Who said GWB can't dance? Lorie Byrd: Commander In Chief Wiggles — I loved the video clips on the news last night of President Bush having some fun in Georgia and breaking into dance. Glenn Reynolds: UNCLE WIGGLY IN GEORGIA: Some people are even calling him "Elvis-like." Which, in a way, makes sense. |
Bill @INDCJournal: Texas Two-Step (UPDATED with VIDEO LINK) Did you catch any footage of the President wiggling his hips on the news last night? K. J. Lopez: W'S GOT RHYTHM — Georgians are impressed by our president, showing himself to be good on his feet, dance-wise. |
Hahn Gains Ground on Villaraigosa By / LAT — Permalink The mayor makes inroads among likely black and Valley voters, but his foe still holds an 11-point lead. Integrity issues are hurting both. With the Los Angeles mayoral election a week away, incumbent James K. Hahn has made large gains among major voting... | |
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Kevin Roderick: Times Poll: Villaraigosa by 11 — Villaraigosa51% Hahn40%The front runner's lead has shrunk from 18 points a month ago... |
Taegan Goddard: Villaraigosa's Lead Narrows — With the Los Angeles mayoral election a week away, incumbent James Hahn "has made large... |
So, some people think I'm rightwing ... By / Guardian — Permalink On Friday morning Helen Clark MP lost her seat of Peterborough to the Conservative candidate by a narrow margin. On Sunday, Clark announced that she was leaving the Labour party and joining the Tories. Their campaign had somehow convinced her that they would be "a more inclusive and effective party". | |
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Harry @HarrysPlace: Excommunication — From David Aaronovitch's last column for the Guardian's G2 section: Since I decided, in January 2003,... |
Norm Geras: First, David Aaronovitch, than whom no one has lately done more to keep that newspaper somewhat politically congenial, signs off. |
Witnesses: Dog cared for abandoned baby AP — Permalink NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A newborn baby abandoned in a Kenyan forest was saved by a stray dog who apparently carried her across a busy road and through a barbed wire fence to a shed where the infant was discovered nestled with a litter of puppies, witnesses said Monday. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Dog Is Abandoned Baby's Best Friend — Here's yet another story that underlines why we must be nice to animals —... Steve Bainbridge: "(Link)" Matthew Yglesias: Superdog — Wreck killed a rat the other day, which was cool, but not this cool. Via Henley. |
Radley Balko: What Cats Won't Do — Cool: [snipped quote] Via Yglesias via Henley. Jim Henley: Comments () » Catblogging Shmatblogging No cat would do this. I could totally see Unqualified Dog in this role. |
Internet Attack Called Broad and Long Lasting by Investigators NYT — Permalink SAN FRANCISCO, May 9 - The incident seemed alarming enough: a breach of a Cisco Systems network in which an intruder seized programming instructions for many of the computers that control the flow of the Internet. | |
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Steve Antler: Trojan horse? What is going on here? There seems to be absolutely nothing new in any of the material I can access. Orin Kerr: Swedish Teen Suspected in Computer Hacking Case: The New York Times has the scoop. |
Cori Dauber: Thanks, Sweden — I may be computer illiterate, but I know enough to know that sending this Swedish teenager home in the... |
Vatican Radio officials convicted BBC — Permalink A Roman Catholic cardinal and a priest in charge of Vatican Radio have been convicted of polluting the atmosphere with powerful electromagnetic waves. Cardinal Roberto Tucci and Father Pasquale Borgomeo were given suspended 10-day jail sentences. | |
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TheAnchoress: More here, with a mention of the money angle. He vowed to appeal, saying emissions were within international limits and "in line with accords between Italy and the Vatican". |
K. J. Lopez: VATICAN RADIO i feel guilty about this. |
Bad NRO — Permalink Michael Jackson and Hollywood. In one of my favorite episodes of the Simpsons, Troy McLure — famed Hollywood personality and star of such classics as The Greatest Story Every Hula-ed and They Came to Burgle Carnegie Hall — needs to get hitched in a sham marriage to Homer's sister-in-law in order to save his career. | |
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Amanda Marcotte: Michael Madsen Did It — Can someone define what "Hollywood" is? |
Tbogg: Shorter Jonah Goldberg — "The Catholic Church? Never heard of it. Why do you ask?" |
Probe Can't Confirm Sources in Freelancer's Stories for 'Wired News' Editor and Publisher — Permalink SAN FRANCISCO An investigation into the sourcing and accuracy of news stories by a freelance journalist at a leading Internet news site concluded that the existence of dozens of people quoted in the articles could not be confirmed. | |
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Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Editor and Publisher reports that Technology Review Magazine has retracted 2 articles already by Delio and has found significant problems with other stories. Jason Van Steenwyk: Looks like another writer's going down. This isn't fun anymore. |
Arthur Chrenkoff: Finally, again in a related area: "An investigation into the sourcing and accuracy of news stories by a freelance... |
Arianna's Blog Blows By / LA Weekly — Permalink Judging from today's horrific debut of the humongously pre-hyped celebrity blog the Huffington Post, the Madonna of the mediapolitic world has gone one reinvention too far. She has now made an online ass of herself. | |
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Paul @PowerLine: Sideline reporter gone wild — Nikki Finke at LA Weekly wonders whether the Huffington Post will finally finish its proprietor. Jeralyn Merritt: One incredibly nasty review proclaimed it the equivalent of Gigli and Ishtar after only ten hours. Please. Joe Gandelman: BUT OTHERS MAY DISAGREE For instance, LA Weekly spent some glorious moments exploring The Huffington Post and announces: Arianna's Blog Blows. |
David Greenberg: Nikki Finke, L.A. Weekly: "Her blog is such a bomb that it's the box-office equivalent of Gigli, Ishtar and Heaven's Gate rolled into one." Kevin Aylward: Other Reviews Howard Kurtz Michelle Malkin Outside The Beltway MediaGirl Matt Welch Nikki Finke - LA Weekly Update: The... Steve Bainbridge: (Link)" As for me, I think the LA Weekly's Nikki Finke put it nicely and succinctly: "Arianna's Blog Blows" BTW, please ignore Hugh Hewitt's cattiness towards the Weekly. |
| Also: Donald Luskin, Mitch Berg, Tom @ScaredMonkeys, Kevin Roderick, Hugh Hewitt, Michelle Malkin, Vox Day, James Joyner, Jim Lindgren, Dale Franks, Jonah Goldberg, Pejman Yousefzadeh | |
Missing white female alert By / Chicago Tribune — Permalink Note to the news media—with an emphasis on the cable networks: Enough is enough. Your continual focus on, and reporting of, missing, young, attractive white women not only demeans your profession but is a televised slap in the face to minority mothers... | |
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Atrios: Stop Hurting America — Link: Note to the news media—with an emphasis on the cable networks: Enough is enough. McQ: Douglas MacKinnon, Bob Dole's former press secretary, says enough already with the "missing white female reporting". Ogged @Unfogged: Let Your Imagination Run Wild — Kevin Drum quotes the Trib. |
John Hawkins: Former press secretary to former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, Douglas MacKinnon has noted the same phenomenon, although he's a... Greg @TheTalentShow: It looks like I was right (via Kevin) : "The latest missing woman to dominate the airtime of the cable networks was... Jesse Taylor: Doug MacKinnon's piece on the media's obsession with white women has gotten a lot of play today, but I'm wondering... |
| Also: Chris Mooney, Attaturk, Jim Romenesko, Kevin Drum, Rex Hammock, Taegan Goddard | |
Analysis: Comparing Hitler and Stalin By / Washington Times — Permalink Bratislava, Slovakia, May. 9 (UPI) — Amid all the chitchat, commentary and controversy over this week's celebrations marking the end of World War II, there is a question that has never been far from the surface, though it has rarely broken through: Which was really worse — communism or Nazism? | |
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James Joyner: Analysis: Comparing Hitler and Stalin (UPI) [snipped quote] Quite right. Jan Haugland: Communism vs Nazism — Robin Shepherd ponders the recurrence of the old debate about what was worse, communism or nazism. Ed Driscoll: Betsy Newmark links to an interesting op-ed by Robin Sheppard on which tyrant was worse, Hitler or Stalin, and the folly... |
Kevin Aylward: Robin Shepherd of the Center for Strategic and International Studies looks at the question, and the motives of those who... Betsy Newmark: Robin Shepherd writes very well of the futility of trying to compare Hitler and Stalin as to which one was worse. |
Shacking Up: N.C. Anti-Cohabitation Law Under Legal Attack By / AP — Permalink RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - There are some 144,000 unmarried couples living together in North Carolina, and they are all breaking the law - a statute that has been on the books since 1805. The law against cohabitation is rarely enforced. | |
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LeanLeft: Recently in the news is the case of a North Carolina Sherriff's dispatcher who was fired when the Sherriff discovered she was living with a man without being married to him. James Joyner: Shacking Up: N.C. Anti-Cohabitation Law Under Legal Attack — North Carolina's law making it a criminal offense for unmarried couples to cohabitate is under challenge by the ACLU. John Cole: Laws That Should Not Be — You and your live-in are breaking the law in NC: [snipped quote] It will be interesting to see if ANYONE supports this law. |
Damian Penny: In North Carolina and six other states, it's still illegal to "live in sin", as they say: There are some 144,000... Chris Lawrence: Shack up and go to jail — John "Don't Call Me Juan" Cole notes that the ACLU is challenging a 1805 North Carolina statute forbidding cohabitation by unmarried couples in court. |
Abu Ghraib Isn't Guernica By / Slate — Permalink Ian McEwan observed recently that there were, in effect, two kinds of people: those who could have used or recognized the words "Abu Ghraib" a few years ago, and those to whom it became a new term only last year. And what a resonant name it has indeed become. | |
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Roger L. Simon: What He Said — Christopher Hitchens comes to the proper conclusion about those progressive reactionaries who compare... Cori Dauber: Trust Christopher Hitchens to have a few thoughts of his own. Orrin Judd: THE LAST STALINISTS: Abu Ghraib Isn't Guernica: But here's why the Spanish Civil War analogy is worth exploring. |
FrancoAlemán: ABU GHRAIB isn't Guernica, but rather Dachau, writes Christopher Hitchens about Botero's paintings with which the... Norm Geras: Place of notoriety — Christopher Hitchens on Abu Ghraib: [quote] To the Iraqis, it was a name to be mentioned in whispers, if at all, as "the house of the end."[end quote] Tom Smith: Hitchens nails it — CH may be an anti-Catholic bigot, but he nails it with this one. |
Dazzle, Yes. But Can They Blog? By / WaPo — Permalink The essence of blogging has been the one-man band, the big mouth in the basement, the pajama-clad pontificator taking on the media establishment. Now Arianna Huffington, who knows something about seizing the spotlight, wants to change that. | |
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Gene @HarrysPlace: Washington Post media writer Howard Kurtz asks: Will Huffington's blog make news, or just be a collection of occasional... James Joyner: Howie Kurtz, though, echoes my initial reaction to the endeavor and raises some other red flags. Dazzle, Yes. But Can They Blog? Michelle Malkin: Hmmm. Now, where did I read David's statement? Oh, yeah, in the forever right-wing-controlled Washington Post. |
Kevin Aylward: The Huffington Post - Opening Day Review — Arianna Huffington's much ballyhooed The Huffington Post (to be know... Ace: Howie Kurtz wonders: "The best blogs, love 'em or hate 'em, have an unmistakable voice; this will be a cacophony of voices. McQ: Blog America — Why do I have the sneaking suspicion this may go the way of Air America? |
| Also: Scott @PowerLine, Dr. Steven Taylor, Garrett M. Graff, Jim Romenesko, Taegan Goddard | |
Are Blogs Busting Loose? By / TCS — Permalink Last weekend I attended the BlogNashville blogger conference, held at Belmont University in Nashville. It was the third conference of that sort I had attended, and it underscored the way blogs, and blogging, are changing. In 2002, I went to Yale's Revenge of the Blog conference. | |
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Donald Sensing: Videoblogging was a big topic there; Glenn discusses the topic and posted links to his interview movie at a TCS post, "Are Blogs Busting Loose?" Chris Nolan: Paging Rick Kaplan... Also, from Nashville, check out Instapundit Glenn Reynolds' video coverage of the conference. Glenn Reynolds: INSTA-TV: My TechCentralStation column is up, with a report from the BlogNashville conference and an extensive video... |
Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Blogs Busting Loose — Glenn Reynolds has an interesting column over at Tech Central Station about the BlogNashville event. Rebecca MacKinnon: Video from Blognashville — Glenn Reynolds has posted some video interviews from Blognashville, including Dan Gillmor,... Rex Hammock: Glenn Reynolds said: (on Tech Central Station) "Two recurring themes of BlogNashville were making money, and video." |
Kerry adopting the rhetoric of a D.C. outsider By / Boston Globe — Permalink BATON ROUGE, La. — The Bruce Springsteen anthem, his theme song, was back — ''No retreat, baby, no surrender" — and people were on their feet before his speech began. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: John Kerry; The Outside the DC Beltway Man for 2008 — You just can't make this stuff up. John Kerry, "Mr. DC Outsider". McQ: Kerry, it seems, still wants to be your president, and, according to the Boston Globe, the quintessential Washington... Jay Tea: John Kerry, Outsider — This morning's Boston Globe has a puff-piece about John Kerry (isn't THAT a surprise) as he positions himself for another run for the presidency in 2008. |
Steve Soto: Edwards Distances Himself From 2004 As He Readies For 2008 — With John Kerry making noises about trying to recreate... Captain Ed: Inside Out, The (New) John Kerry Story — The Boston Globe reports that John Kerry has transformed himself into that... Hugh Hewitt: He's been assigned to follow John Kerry's cross-country trips to market his new populism. |
| Also: Taegan Goddard, Jayson @PoliPundit, Kos @DailyKos, Orrin Judd, K. J. Lopez | |
Stereotypes and filibusters By / Washington Times — Permalink The judicial confirmation process has become so savage in recent years that it would take a brave nominee to offer himself or herself for consideration. California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown, for example, has been charged in a recent NAACP "Action Alert" with being "hostile to civil rights" and "having extreme right-wing views." | |
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Captain Ed: After the endorsement by self-described liberal Ginger Rutland of the Sacramento Bee yesterday for Janice Rogers Brown,... Tom Smith: If you are judging while Black, you had better mind your p's and q's. Ditto for Hispanic jurists. See Hentoff. |
Paul @PowerLine: Prejudicial selectivity — Civil libertarian Nat Hentoff explains how "prejudicially selective" the Democratic attacks on judicial nominee Janice Rogers Brown have been. |
Times Panel Proposes Steps to Build Credibility By / NYT — Permalink In order to build readers' confidence, an internal committee at The New York Times has recommended taking a variety of steps, including having senior editors write more regularly about the workings of the paper, tracking errors in a systematic way and responding more assertively to the paper's critics. | |
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Iowahawk: Man, do I love the New York Times. Expecially when they give me an excuse to repost an old CNS column from 2003. Joe Gandelman: New York Times' New Goal Is Bolstering Reader Confidence — Nowhere is impact of today's quickly changing, highly... Jeff Jarvis: The report and Keller's response will be online here later today but from the story about it in today's paper by Kit Seelye, the recommendations look to be spot on. |
Ace: The same day they presume to criticize us, they also announce their new plans to build credibility. Tom Maguire: Hidden in today's business section of the NY Times is a story (with excerpts) describing the conclusions and... TheAnchoress: Speaking about the press, the NY Times is wondering about blogger ethics (the writer claims - with nothing to back it up... |
| Also: Kevin Roderick, Cori Dauber, Pejman Yousefzadeh, Garrett M. Graff, Roger L. Simon, Lindsay Beyerstein, Jim Romenesko, Glenn Reynolds, Ann Althouse, Betsy Newmark, Marc @USSNeverdock, Orin Kerr | |
Confessions of a Listener By / The Nation — Permalink I am old enough to be nostalgic about radio, having grown up when it was a stately medium and we listened to Journeys in Musicland with Professor E.B. "Pop" Gordon teaching us the musical scale, and the guest on The Poetry Corner was Anna Hempstead Branch, who... | |
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Amanda Butler: From an old favorite---really, the first blog-like publication I ever read, a site an old boss of mine introduced me... Avedon Carol: Garrison Keillor loves listening to the radio. |
Lambert @Corrente: Goodnight, moon — Here's a wonderful article by Garrison Keillor on radio: [snipped quote] Giving shy persons the strength to get up and do what needs to be done. |
V-E Day -- a Soiled Victory By / LAT — Permalink A look at the WWII Allies' moral shortcuts. World War II was the most destructive event in human history. It transformed the world more profoundly than any other man-made calamity, including all the great political revolutions. | |
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Blackfive: That's Why It's Called "War" — "It is well that war is terrible - we should should grow too fond of it." Steve Bainbridge: Niall Ferguson calls it a "soiled victory" - and he's got a point. Orrin Judd: A CHOICE OF HOLOCAUSTERS: V-E Day — a Soiled Victory: A look at the WWII Allies' moral shortcuts. |
Baldilocks: This Should Be Interesting — Speaking of human fallibility, some people are still under the illusion that human beings... Armed Liberal: There's a broader point here... In the Sunday LA Times, Niall Ferguson, author of "Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the... |
Burger, fries and fast-food tax to go? By / CNN — Permalink NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - An additional tax on fast-food may be a distasteful idea for whopper-lovers but at least one major city in the Midwest is seriously considering such a proposal. | |
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Jeff Jarvis: Big Mac tax : Detroit is talking about taxing fast food. What a nitwit idea. First, what's fast? David Allan Pell: Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (recently named by Time as one of America's worst mayors) has come up with a plan to tax... |
Joe Gandelman: Dumb Government Department: Detroit Mayor Proposes Fast Food Tax — The punch line that's often used is "Do you want... |
HUFFINGTON POST EXCLUSIVE: EMBARGOED BOOK CLAIMS SAUDI OIL INFRASTRUCTURE RIGGED FOR CATASTROPHIC SELF-DESTRUCTION Huffington Post — Permalink According to a new book exclusively obtained by the Huffington Post, Saudi Arabia has crafted a plan to protect itself from a possible invasion or internal attack. It includes the use of a series of explosives, including radioactive "dirty bombs," that would cripple Saudi Arabian oil production and distribution systems for decades. | |
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Damian Penny: The Post also has details of Gerald Posner's new book about Saudi Arabia, which sounds like an essential read. K. J. Lopez: A preview of Gerald Posner's new book: "the Saudi Arabian government has in place a nationwide, self-destruction... |
Matt Welch: Blog down the left side, Drudgy headlines and pics to the right, a breathy Huffington Post Exclusive! about yet another... |
Reid Offers Olive Branch on Bush Nominee By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid on Monday offered the Democrats' support for one of President Bush's judicial nominees, former Senate lawyer Thomas Griffith, as a goodwill gesture in the confrontation over banning judicial filibusters. | |
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Mathew @Centerfield: As I am sure most of you know, Senator Harry Reid has offered what ABC News refers to as an "Oliver Branch" by providing... K. J. Lopez: MEANWHILE, HARRY REID tries to bogusly look reasonable by offering support for Thomas Griffith. |
Red @ScaredMonkeys: Harry Reid; Where Is Your Position of Strength on the Filibuster — So a couple days after Harry Reid decided to call... |
"I Want My Safety Net" Business Week — Permalink George Silli, a 66-year-old waiter from suburban Philadelphia, had a brush with President Bush's Ownership Society, and it was an experience he'll not soon forget. Silli's psyche and his wallet still bear the scorch marks of the 2000 market meltdown. | |
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Avedon Carol: Contrariwise calls our attention to an article in Business Week that advises that Americans have no wish to lose the... Barry L. Ritholtz: Nasdaq 3 Year Chart click for larger graph Source: Redwood Technimentals NASDAQ has broken an uptrend line (red line)... |
Reihan Salam: RESCUING BUSH'S OWNERSHIP AGENDA: BusinessWeek has a cover package on "Safety Net Nation," the voters who want Social... Cookie Jill: it really is worth a read. |
Secret Rosen Tape May Confound Democratic Party By / New York Sun — Permalink With the trial of a key finance official on Senator Clinton's 2000 campaign set to open tomorrow, a secretly recorded audiotape at the core of the case could prove embarrassing to politicians, political operatives, and wealthy donors to the Democratic Party. | |
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Michelle Malkin: More from the New York Sun's Josh Gerstein: Secret Rosen Tape May Confound Democratic Party And heard that Tony Snow will have Peter Paul on to talk about the case. TheAnchoress: Josh Gerstein seems to think the story won't go away too easily and that it may "confound" the democrats. Rich Lowry: From the New York Sun today: "Among the recorded gripes on the tape was Mr. Rosen's complaint that although he worked... |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: THE SILENCE IS DEAFENING — Without prejudging this case, shouldn't we at least be hearing a little more about it from media sources other than the New York Sun? Scott @PowerLine: Josh Gerstein broke the story of the wire last month in the New York Sun and understandably moves discussion of the wire... Tom Maguire: Al "Mr. Warmth" Gore — In a newsmaking Times-Picayune story (cited in the NY Sun) about Hillary's problem with the old... |
The Final Insult By / NYT — Permalink Hell hath no fury like a scammer foiled. The card shark caught marking the deck, the auto dealer caught resetting a used car's odometer, is rarely contrite. On the contrary, they're usually angry, and they lash out at their intended marks, crying hypocrisy. | |
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Avedon Carol: Paul Krugman, The Final Insult, on why Bush's plan not only won't save Social Security, but is meant to destroy it. PGL: Update: Paul Krugman was on the story before I was - again. Update II: How dare I leave Donald Luskin off my list? Tom Maguire: Always The Red, Never The Black — I infer from his column lead that Paul Krugman has never played, or watched, a three card monte game in the Greatest City in the World. |
Brad DeLong: Paul Krugman Does Some Math on Right-Wing Class Warfare — He writes: The Final Insult - New York Times: Hell hath no fury like a scammer foiled. Donald Luskin: KRUGMAN'S $60,000 QUESTION — A remarkable collection of lies in Paul Krugman's New York Times column today. Steve Soto: As Krugman notes, Bush's plan actually hurts the middle class while letting the wealthy pocket their gains from Bush's first term treasury-draining tax cuts. |
| Also: DavidNYC @DailyKos, Matthew Yglesias, Lambert @Corrente, Attaturk, Michael Froomkin, Ed Cone, Pudentilla | |
Wall Street journalism or blog? ABC News — Permalink The Australian's columnist Janet Albrechtsen, now on the ABC Board, has already bought into the debate around the media coverage of the Douglas Wood story. The terrorists want US, Australian and British troops out of Iraq and will rely on a media fuelled compassion campaign to achieve that goal ...the media will no doubt comply ... | |
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Tim Dunlop: The episode itself makes the necessary points about the Chrenkoff site-of-misdirection: "Mr Chrenkoff is not a... |
Arthur Chrenkoff: Update: For all those who are wondering what the whole fuss was about (particularly if you're not from Australia), here's the transcript. |
It's to Laugh (or Cry) About By / WaPo — Permalink The runaway bride has turned into a runaway television embarrassment. A missing woman turns up safe after apparently getting cold feet about her wedding, and producers, rather than feeling embarrassed over their earlier excess, turn it into the latest national obsession. | |
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McQ: UPDATE: Howard Kurtz does a nice job of explaining the phenomenon. Jim Romenesko: (CPD) > Missing bride-to-be Sappleton was black, so TV wasn't interested (AJ-C) > Runaway bride has turned into a... |
Garrett M. Graff: A Story We'd Like To See — Howard Kurtz, who had a great op-ed (!) in yesterday's Outlook section, chatted away today... |
Gaining Confidence: 'N.Y. Times' Releases Key Internal Report Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK An internal committee at The New York Times has recommended steps to increase readers' confidence in the newspaper, including reducing errors, increasing coverage of religion, "rural areas" and "middle America," making reporters and editors more accessible, and possibly starting a blog. | |
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Kevin Roderick: An HP news headline says "New York Times to start a blog," but it just links to an Editor & Publisher story about... K. J. Lopez: SHADES OF GRAY — The New York Times heads in the blog direction. |
Echidne: An internal committee of the New York Times has come up with a list of recommendations "to increase reader's confidence in the newspaper". |
No Shift to the Center By / WaPo — Permalink Hillary Clinton has moved to the center in preparation for 2008. It's become a cliche — so self-evidently true that it shows up not merely in editorials but in news articles as well. One of the reasons it's so uncontroversial is that it seems innocuous, even flattering. | |
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Hugh Hewitt: But he has a Washington Post editorial on Hillary this morning that includes a classic Peter technique that endeared him... Tim Graham: THE WOMAN'S A LIB — Peter Beinart's monthly column for the WashPost is just wrong in its central thesis — that Hillary... |
Avedon Carol: Peter Beinart, No Shift to the Center - about why the wingnuts are trying to convince people that Hillary Clinton has... Matthew Yglesias: The Washington Post's editorial page offered an interesting thought experiment yesterday — how would nuke-happy Senate... |
Military: Blues, But Not Green Newsweek — Permalink May 16 issue - In case anyone still doesn't understand that recruiting is now the toughest job in the Army, the service missed its April goal by 42 percent. It was the third month in a row that the active-duty recruiting mission was not accomplished. | |
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James Joyner: Military: Blues, But Not Green (Newsweek, May 16) [snipped quote] Not terribly surprising, really. |
Jason Van Steenwyk: Not good. What's more, the zoomies and squids aren't transferring to the Army in the numbers we hoped they would. |
In the static world of the left By / Townhall.com — Permalink The left's latest misinformation campaign claims that if President Bush would just call off the tax cuts, there would be more than enough revenue to make Social Security solvent in perpetuity. | |
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Donald Luskin: Update 3... Jack Kemp piles on, faulting Krugman's statement that "Repealing Mr. Bush's tax cuts would yield enough... |
Betsy Newmark: Jack Kemp puts the economic smackdown on Paul Krugman. |
Increasingly Embattled, DeLay Scales Back Usual Power Plays WaPo — Permalink In the euphemism favored on Capitol Hill, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is "not staff driven." Translation: He is used to doing what he wants. It happens all the time, DeLay friends and advisers say. | |
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Charles Kuffner: UPDATE: Forgot to link to this WaPo piece, which doesn't actually have anything to do with what Judis writes about but which calls DeLay "increasingly embattled" in the headline. Kos @DailyKos: Before we know it, he'll have to fly commercial. [snipped quote] This paragraph alone is evidence enough of DeLay's abuse of power. |
Taegan Goddard: Despite his recent bravado, the Washington Post notes scandal is started to wear down House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. |
They Were Against It, Before They Were For It By / Weekly Standard — Permalink Speaking out of both sides of one's mouth is an occupational hazard, if not an occupational necessity, for politicians seeking elective office in competitive races. It's not a pretty sight, and it supports a cynicism about democratic politics that is unbecoming. | |
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Scott @PowerLine: In my Daily Standard column today (click here), I point out the profound dishonesty of the Minneapolis Star Tribune... Vox Day: However, the Trunk remembers things a little closer to our own historical epoch very well indeed, as he demonstrates in... |
Ace: The Powerline's Scott Johnson writes in The Daily Standard about the Minneanapolis Star-Tribune's unexplained flip-flopping on filibusters. Hugh Hewitt: And Scott Johnson writes at TheWeeklyStandard on one example of how the left has come to love the filibuster it once hated, using America's worst second tier paper as an example. |
Iran Confirms Uranium-To-Gas Conversion By / AP — Permalink TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran confirmed for the first time Monday that it converted 37 tons of raw uranium into gas, a key step ahead of enrichment, before it suspended all such activities in November under international pressure. | |
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TheAnchoress: Then again…maybe this is the cause of so much dawdling… |
Jan Haugland: Iran back on the nuclear track — Iran is announcing it will continue its nuclear enrichment programme within days, and... |