5 Signs of a Radical Change in U.S. Politics  —  (Midnight update: This item went up three hours ago with a more blunt-instrument headline than it should ever have had: “5 Signs the United States is Undergoing a Coup.”  I used the word “coup” in a particular way in the longer item this was drawn from.

Turzai: Voter ID Law Means Romney Can Win PA  —  House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) told the Republican State Committee that Voter ID will allow Romney to win PA.  —  State Treasurer candidate Diana Irey Vaughan may have stolen the show at the Republican State Committee meeting …

Issa: Fast and Furious might have been a political operation to push for gun control  —  The big question from last week's assertion of executive privilege by Barack Obama was what, exactly, was so troublesome that the White House couldn't have Attorney General Eric Holder release it.

Romney Bus Circles, Honks Obama — Again Mitt Romney's campaign bus circled President Barack Obama's fundraiser tonight in Boston, the second time they've pulled the stunt in two weeks.  —  BOSTON — For the second time in as many weeks, Mitt Romney's campaign taunted President Barack Obama outside a speech.

Elmo imposter hassles tourists for money and gets booted from Central Park Zoo  —  Man dressed up as furry Sesame Street Muppet gets taken away on ambulance  —  An emotionally disturbed man dressed as Elmo is taken away by ambulance after hassling tourists for money and shouting obscenties at Central Park Zoo.

Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. treated for exhaustion, takes medical leave  —  Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.) has taken a medical leave of absence because he is being treated for exhaustion, according to his office.  —  In a brief statement released Monday, Jackson's staff disclosed that the lawmaker …

Plane Tows Swastika Banner, Startles New Jersey Beachgoers  —  LONG BEACH, N.J. (CBS/AP) — New Jersey beachgoers were startled over the weekend to see a small plane flying overhead pulling a swastika banner.  —  VIEW: Photo Plane Towing Swastika Banner  —  Twitter was abuzz with tweets …

Teen lesbian couple found shot in Texas park  —  Police are investing the shooting of two teenage girls in a small Texas community along the Gulf of Mexico.  KRIS reporter Lindsay Curtis has the story.  —  Two teenage girls in a relationship were found with gunshot wounds to the head in a south Texas park …

An Important Victory For Freedom of Expression  —  First, dear readers, you should expect this post to change radically—or perhaps I will start a new post.  I just wanted to get this off my chest immediately.  —  I am free once again to do something very simple.  I am allowed to say the name Brett Kimberlin again.

GOProud Is A Bunch Of Jewish Nazis  —  Ever since the conservative gay group GOProud backed Mitt Romney for President last week—albeit by a very slim margin—the epithets and insults have been hurling at them like taunts at a gay kid.  —  But this time, the outrage is justified.

A Cruel and Unusual Record  —  THE United States is abandoning its role as the global champion of human rights.  —  Revelations that top officials are targeting people to be assassinated abroad, including American citizens, are only the most recent, disturbing proof of how far our nation's violation of human rights has extended.

Hispanic Voters Put Other Issues Before Immigration  —  Healthcare, unemployment are tops among six issues tested  —  PRINCETON, NJ — U.S. Hispanics prioritize immigration, healthcare, and unemployment to equal degrees, according to a new USA Today/Gallup poll asking about the importance of six national policy issues.