December 1, 2004

Isn't It Ironic?

The guy wins $2.5 million on Jeopardy! and loses on a question about.... taxes. Go figure. --------... [More]


"Making Gratuitous Enemies"

That's a direct quote from an Army report obtained by WaPo on the effects of our treatment of prisoners in Iraq. A confidential report to Army generals in Iraq in... [More]


They Lied - And They Admit It!

OK... Get this.. The U.S. military is deliberately lying to the U.S. news media so that they can see how the Iraqi insurgents will react to the misinformation. I get... [More]


I KNEW IT!!!

Lookie see! It's not my fault! If you like to go to sleep after Conan O'Brien or wake up shortly before lunch, you may have your ancestors to blame. Researchers... [More]


They WUZ Robbed!

OK... I know I'm a week late on this, but it is an ongoing story, so bear with me... The race for Mayor of San Diego appears to be stuck... [More]


December 2, 2004

Reform the Vote

Wow. The last place I would have expected innovative election reform to come from is Florida, but, well... Take a look. Florida's election supervisors, impressed by the success of early... [More]


The Truth Is What WE Say It Is

Your tax dollarsat work. • A 43-day-old fetus is a "thinking person." • HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can be spread via sweat and tears. • Condoms fail to... [More]


At The Movies

It's Dubya The Movie.... Tip o' the hat to Atrios for this one. --------... [More]


The Future

Still in paper land... Wanted to post about Peter Beinart's thought provoking piece over at New Republic. But I just don't seem to have time right now. Today, three years... [More]


Two Very, VERY Good Signs

From The HillReid makes it clear he’s no Daschle In one of his first moves as top Democrat in the Senate, incoming Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is consolidating staff... [More]


December 3, 2004

The Headline Says It All

44 percent of Americans take prescription drugs --------... [More]


A Levelheaded Look

My hometown paper has a great piece today about the nationwide problems with our election system. No conspiracies, just facts. And a hole lot of them, too... --------... [More]


Gone Spelunkin'

Hmmm.... Now this is interesting... WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Friday Washington had no way to force Iran to allow U.N. inspectors unrestricted access to... [More]


December 4, 2004

Stupid Conservative Tricks

OK... This is just dumb... Conservatives have long regarded universities as the last spider holes of liberalism. They regard professors as lefty holdouts who spend their days indoctrinating the younger... [More]


If Only...

...we had more politicians like John McCain As Major League Baseball's steroid scandal widened to include the sport's most prolific active home run hitter, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain... [More]


JUST GO READ THIS

Here. And Here. --------... [More]


JUST A QUESTION

With everyone running, not walking, for the door in the Bush administration, why is it that the one person... the one person who has screwed up more than anyone else,... [More]


VENTING

Working on my paper on the effects of negative ads on voters, and... I need to vent. Real quick. The lesson of the last 50 years is this: if you... [More]


December 7, 2004

FORGET THE CHILDREN

It's our nation that's falling behind. American high school students have a poorer mastery of basic math concepts than their counterparts in most other leading industrialized nations, according to a... [More]


December 8, 2004

SPEECHLESS

This is beyond words. CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait, Dec. 8 - In an extraordinary exchange at this remote desert camp, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld found himself on the defensive today,... [More]


December 9, 2004

BIG DOG GO WOOF!

It's about damn time someone starting talking about it. Former president Bill Clinton chided supporters to stop "bellyaching and whining" about the political obstacles and begin a new effort to... [More]


Fusion Powered?

Wow... Check out the byline on this article on fusion power in CSM. Scientists now say 100 million degrees C is not too hot to handle in this powerful energy-generating... [More]


The Audactiy of Hope

Sometimes blogging like this it's hard to stay optimistic about things. To stay hopeful. And then, every once in awhile, you read a story about a group of people who... [More]


READ HIS LIPS

Interesting. President Bush, kicking off his post-election campaign to partially privatize Social Security, promised today that he would not raise the Social Security payroll tax in order to pay for... [More]


MORE FROM THE TROOPS

Yesterday I posted part of a WaPo story about Rumsfeld getting grilled by the troops. And while I certainly don't disagree with the story's focus on the questions about lack... [More]


ON THE RADAR

This may or may not be anything. But it is certainly worth following. A senior CIA operative who handled sensitive informants in Iraq asserts that CIA managers asked him to... [More]


WWJD???

Stories like this make you wonder... What Would Jefferson Do? Ten Commandments Backed by Bush Administration in Court Fight Dec. 8 (Bloomberg) -- The Bush administration, saying that religion ``has... [More]


I'M NOT CRAZY!

I told my students about this in section last week, and I don't think they entirely believed me. Well, I wasn't kidding. They really are going to play hocus pocus... [More]


SPACE TERRORISTS

Giblets on fire once again... Two, we are not putting weapons on our satellites to threaten other countries (although that would kick ass). We are putting weapons on our satellites... [More]


SUPER SECRET WHATCHYAMACALLIT

What's up with this? WASHINGTON - Congress’ new blueprint for U.S. intelligence spending includes a mysterious and expensive spy program that drew extraordinary criticism from leading Democrats, with one saying... [More]


December 10, 2004

PRECEDENT

How's this for precedent? There is, by the way, a precedent for Bush-style privatization. One major reason for Argentina's rapid debt buildup in the 1990's was a pension reform involving... [More]


BLENDED SEWAGE

Fun for the entire family! Blended sewage The Environmental Protection Agency is close to issuing new guidelines making it easier for sewage authorities to dump partially treated wastewater during heavy... [More]


GOODBYE AND GOOD RIDDANCE

No ethics violation? You've got to be kidding me. J. Steven Griles, the former timber and energy lobbyist who managed the country's vast mineral and land holdings as the Interior... [More]


OUCH

Great critique today from TNR.com of Rusmfeld's pathetic response to the GI's questions about lack of armor and supplies in Iraq. "[I]f you think about it," he said, "you can... [More]


FOOD FOR THOUGHT

From Federalist No. 51, Madison wrote, Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been and ever will be pursued until it... [More]


NEOCONS AT A LOSS

Interesting piece from TNR.com about confusion in the neo-con ranks regarding Iran. The article requires a subscription, however, so for those of you who don't have one (bad move), here's... [More]


CRACKS AND FISSURES

More dissension among the ranks of House Republicans, as reported by TNR: What evolved was a standoff that had more to do with immigration politics than intelligence reform. Tom Tancredo,... [More]


LOFTY GOALS

Wow. Now this is the kind of loft I'd like to own. This anomalous building has just been renovated by Brooklyn sculptor Benton Brown, 31, and his wife, Susan Boyle,... [More]


PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!

This is potentially HUGE news: The Democratic National Committee (news - web sites) formed a 40-member panel Friday to study whether to shake up the dominance that Iowa and New... [More]


GOOD GOD, NOT AGAIN...

From the latest issue of Foreign Affiars... It seems Bush and co have cooked the intel books once again. Summary: Two years ago, Washington accused Pyongyang of running a secret... [More]


December 11, 2004

THE WAR OF IDEAS

Once there was a dream that was America. Where has it gone? How have we so easily forgotten? "I can't believe these things can happen, that they can come and... [More]


SEX ED

Great piece in Sunday's WaPo about the silly controversy over sex ed. Here's a sample, but be sure to read the full article: If 30 years of experience in this... [More]


ACCIDENTAL HONESTY

I was going to post about the accidental honesty of David Brooks today, but Kevin Drum beat me too it. Honestly, I can't believe a conservative has admitted the entire... [More]


December 12, 2004

THANK YOU. I THINK.

I think this is a good sign. Isn't it? WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican congressional proponent of Social Security reform warned President Bush on Sunday not to rely on a... [More]


December 17, 2004

BACK IN A BIT

Last exam this AM, so I'll be back shortly. Until then, here's something that might make you smile... WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House went all out to showcase the... [More]


"A MISERABLE SITUATION"

Let's all pray Igantius isn't right: "It is a miserable situation," Gaaod told me. "My people feel that Iraq is going into a deep hole. Things are not improving but... [More]


ALAS, THE THEORY HAS FAILED EVERY EMPIRICAL TEST

Jonathan Chait has a great piece in today's LA Times about Bush's tax guru, Martin Feldstein. It's mindblowing - how wrong do you have to be before Bush loses confidence... [More]


HARMLESS DRUGS?

This whole prescription drug thing really baffles me. It's as if people expect putting chemicals into their body won't have side effects. The worrisome results came from a clinical trial... [More]


SO MUCH FOR THAT

Remember Rummy's plan for a smaller, faster lighter military? You know, the one he was so brilliantly testing by sending in a fraction of the troops used in Desert Storm?... [More]


THE NEW SPACE RACE

Wired Magazine has an excellent collection of stories this month on human exploration, and it got me thinking... I know I joked Bush earlier this year when he proposed we... [More]


WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

Something tells me this isn't the answer: ITHACA, N.Y. - Nearly half of all Americans believe the U.S. government should restrict the civil liberties of Muslim Americans, according to a... [More]


EX-DEATHSQUADMEN FOR HIRE?!?

This cannot be true. Please, please, PLEASE tell me this cannot be true: BOGOTA, Colombia - Recruiters working for U.S. contractors are hiring former Colombian soldiers — and even luring... [More]


I WONDER...

If the ballots had been in a Republican county, would they say the same thing? A judge Friday granted a state Republican Party request to block King County from counting... [More]


A RIDERLESS HORSE

Ignatius on it... But future historians will wonder how it happened that the United States came halfway around the world, suffered more than 1,200 dead and spent $200 billion to... [More]


December 18, 2004

NO. SORRY. NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

I'm sorry, but no... This is just not good enough. Not at all. The campaign manager for Sen. John Kerry's failed presidential bid said Wednesday she regrets underestimating the impact... [More]


THE WIZARDS?

What's this world coming to? The Washington Wizards beat the L.A. Lakers today. Woah. Proof that anything is possible I suppose... --------... [More]


December 19, 2004

RUE THE DAY

Now this is what I like to hear! In an article in today's WaPo, Sen. Harry Reid, the opposition party leader in the Senate, had this to say: "As far... [More]


December 20, 2004

A CARING FELLOW?!?

You've got to be kidding me. A caring fellow? WASHINGTON - Accused of being insensitive to U.S. soldiers in Iraq (news - web sites) and their families, Defense Secretary Donald... [More]


CANDYCANES FOR JESUS

OK, now here's a story that both liberals and conservatives should be able to agree on. Last year, a school administrator stopped Jonathan Morgan at the door to his classroom... [More]


MMMM.... POWER...

I can't wait to see how Bush reacts to this: "The Republican Party will quickly lose our majority if we don't follow through on the promise of major structural reform,"... [More]


WE REPORT. YOU DECIDE.

Yet another example of Fox News manipulating a story to show their version of "the truth." When exactly did this idea that there is no objective "truth" start, and how... [More]


HELLO SF!

To all my friends out by the Left Ocean, a quick weather update. Tonight in Boston: Snowing and 12 degrees F - without the wind. With it? A balmy -6... [More]


DID POTUS AUTHORIZE ABUSE?

It looks like that may indeed be the case. Following a Freedom of Information request from the group conservatives love to hate - the ACLU - they're uncovered an email... [More]


I CAN DREAM, CAN'T I?

One day... wouldn't it be nice to see a story like this and find out the reason behind it was that people finally decided they had enough stuff... :) --------... [More]


December 21, 2004

SAY IT LOUD

Kos says out loud what many other Dems must be thinking privately - that all things being equal, it may be better for Kerry to have lost than won. Of... [More]


TEAR DOWN THE CROSS

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Apparently both Presidents Bush support a group called the ACLC, a front for the Rev. Sun Myung Moon (owner of the Washington Times). The... [More]


December 22, 2004

STEM CELL BREAKTHRU?

Check this out. A reproductive research team in Chicago could have an answer to the ethical and scientific conundrums presented by the pursuit of stem-cell treatments. That's no small task... [More]


WTF???

You might have already seen this on several other blogs, but just in case.... Click thru and head to 16:47 in to Bush's most recent press conference. Weird, eh? --------... [More]


December 23, 2004

LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND

But if you're a young adult, well, looks like you're on your own. College students in virtually every state will be required to shoulder more of the cost of their... [More]


HEALTHY FORESTS!

In an effort to preserve and protect our forests, the Bush administration has just done away with, yup, you guessed it, public input and environmental impact studies. Of course, that's... [More]


KYOTO IS DEAD

Wow. By 2012, the plants in three key countries - China, India, and the United States - are expected to emit as much as an extra 2.7 billion tons of... [More]


GET OVER YOURSELF

Rummy is sad. Poor Rummy. "When I meet with the wounded, with their families or with the families of those who have been lost, their grief is something I feel... [More]


WAR CRIMES

A few days back I posted news about the results of an ACLU Freedom of Information Act request on prisoner abuse in Iraq and GITMO. I read as much as... [More]


THE ELECTION THAT NEVER ENDS

Looks like the Dems have taken the Gov race in Washington even without counting those rediscovered ballots. So... now that all the votes have been counted under a policy both... [More]


MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Heading back to D.C. for a few days, so don't expect many posts from me until I get back early next week. Until then, a safe and happy holiday to... [More]


December 29, 2004

THE NEXT ECONOMY

Interesting piece in today's WaPo from Robert Samuelson on the future of the U.S. economy. As with any op-ed it's fairly short, but it covers a few points worth considering... [More]


30TH ANNIVERSARY

Here's an ironic twist of history that cannot possibly have been intentional. January 30, the date set for elections in Iraq, is the 30th anniversary of the start of the... [More]


LYING LIARS

Looks like the Washington Times has been caught fabricating stories again. Their story on U.N. criticism of the U.S. over tsunami aid included a fabricated quote: U.N. official slams U.S.... [More]


COMPARE AND CONTRAST

This headline: Ark. Judge Voids Ban on Gay Foster Parents with the lead of the actual story: LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - An Arkansas judge Wednesday declared unconstitutional a state ban... [More]


December 30, 2004

BEYOND WORDS

Just look. And watch. Then give. And if you believe, pray. --------... [More]


AARP JOINS THE FIGHT

And this time, they're on our side. WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 - AARP, the influential lobby for older Americans, signaled Wednesday for the first time how fervently it would fight President... [More]


LET'S REVIEW

Great post today from my favorite blogger,Publius, on Bush and Co's horrible record on foreign policy over the past four years. Here's the lead Americans’ various perceptions of Bush and... [More]


A HOPEFUL FUTURE?

If you're looking for something to make you feel hopeful about the future as the year comes to a close, this just might do the trick. Via Mother Jones: This... [More]


WHY?

Making it more difficult to investigate ethics violations is just dumb. I thought Republicans were supposed to be tough on crime? House Republican leaders are urging members to alter one... [More]


STUDYING DWI

Look! The Union-Leader made a funny! Here is a clue to help the investigation: Drunk drivers are, by definition, drunk. Alcohol impairs rational brain functioning. When you are dancing on... [More]


December 31, 2004

NEW YEAR'S EVE

Taking the day off from blogging... Got a big night to get ready for at Avalon... For those of you in the Boston area next week... A HUGE night next... [More]