Headlines - Tuesday December 28

Spreading some more Xmas cheer in our names.

US commander in Afghanistan General David Petraeus is the latest to offer a hint that the administration is about to begin launching cross border raids into Pakistan, calling for attacks on both sides of the porous border.

Why are we tolerating this? Why?

 

4430 soldiers killed in Iraq; 1443 in Afghanistan. No one counts the dead darkies anymore.

 

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That is incitement to commit murder. - Julian Assange on Mike Huckabee calling for Assange's execution for treason,  Link


How can Assange be guilty of treason when he's never taken an oath to defend the United States?

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Blizzard knocks out the right's powers of reasoning

It's always entertaining to see the rampant stupidity that a winter storm brings out in conservatives. A big blizzard really brings out the dumb. For them, snow means there's no such thing as climate change. But it's called global warming for a reason -- it effects the entire globe. Yet a weather event over a tiny fraction of that globe means it's snowing everywhere. Or something. Seriously, I can't work up enough ignorance to get the argument to make any damned sense at all. Apparently, being a wingnut requires a special talent for idiocy that I lack.

Add in the news that scientists now believe that global warming means more snow and, perhaps, lower temperatures in the winter and the right becomes insufferable.

Keep reading: http://griperblade.blogspot.com/2010/12/blizzard-knocks-out-right-powers-of.html

 

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More Democrats need to follow Congressman Crowley's challenge to the Teabaggers to put their money where their mouth is. We shouldn't let a single one of them get a supposed free ride. The Hill:

"If your conference wants to deny millions of Americans affordable health care, your members should walk that walk," Crowley wrote to incoming House Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.). "You cannot enroll in the very kind of coverage that you want for yourselves, and then turn around and deny it to Americans who don't happen to be Members of Congress."

The push began in earnest after Rep.-elect Andy Harris (R-Md.) reportedly complained in a November private meeting that his government healthcare benefits did not begin immediately.

So far, incoming Reps. Bobby Schilling (R-Ill.) and Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) have declined their government health insurance.

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Jill: Something tells me it's not gay soldiers who are the ones looking at their compatriots in the shower

 

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Lockheed-Martin's modernization of the FAA's air traffic control system is running six years late (at least) and is over half a billion dollars over budget.

Don Brown noted that the FAA released this bit of news in timing that virtually guaranteed that the story would be buried.

Bet you won't hear a peep out of Sen. Coburn and the Teabaggers over this. Big government contractors swilling from the Treasury's feed trough never seems to inspire any outrage from them. But try to help veterans, the 9-11 first responders or other people who are down on their luck and, oh my gawd, listen to the cries of the Teabaggers who all of a sudden care about government spending.

 

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Mandatory US Army survey says non-believers unfit to serve

After taking the survey, and finding out that, as a non-believer, the Army considers him unfit to serve, Sgt. Griffith sent out an email to all the organizations and individuals involved in Rock Beyond Belief, and people sprang into action. MRFF has a prominent law firm on it, and several of the bloggers among the recipients of the email immediately posted about this jaw droppingly outrageous "religious test."

One of these blog posts, written by Al Stefanelli, has now gone viral. Al's post, which begins, "Did you know that the United States Army is concerned with the spiritual well-being of their soldiers? Did you know that if you choose not to believe in the supernatural that the United States Army can consider you unfit to serve?," can be found here, and a follow-up post here.

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Asia's first school made of plastic bottles is 3x stronger than concrete

This morning, we have another awesome project to add to our list of amazing bottle architecture – this cleverly constructed schoolhouse in San Pablo, Philippines, which happens to be the first of its kind in Asia. The innovative building was conceived and constructed by Illac Diaz and MyShelter Foundation as a way of turning a negative – an abundance of discarded plastic bottles – into a positive – a brand new place for children to get their learn on. The school is made from 1.5 and two-liter soda and water bottles filled with adobe, a combo that is relatively cheaper than concrete and – get this – is also about three times stronger!

More at the link.

 

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How the hell have we managed to get to a place where the discourse in this country is so partisan that the First Lady's efforts to combat childhood obesity come under attack by idiots and right-wing hacks like Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck? Palin has been taking shots at the effort since last fall when she took sugar cookies to a school in Pennsylvania where she went to criticize the "Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act" before it was passed. She hasn't let up, taking a shot at Mrs. Obama a couple of weeks ago on that stupid unreality show of hers, asking in one episode where the "s'mores fixin's" were hiding and smirked "This is in honor of Michelle Obama, who said the other day we shouldn't have dessert."

http://www.theygaveusarepublic.com/diary/7349/how-the-hell-did-our-discourse-get-so-effing-stooopid

 

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Cool Paleo-Anthropology news of the week "Neanderthals cooked and ate plants and vegetables, a new study of Neanderthal remains reveals. ... Researchers in the US have found grains of cooked plant material in their teeth. ... The study is the first to confirm that the Neanderthal diet was not confined to meat and was more sophisticated than previously thought. ... The research has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ... The popular image of Neanderthals as great meat eaters is one that has up until now been backed by some circumstantial evidence. Chemical analysis of their bones suggested they ate little or no vegetables. ... This perceived reliance on meat had been put forward by some as one of the reasons these humans become extinct as large animals such as mammoths declined due to an Ice Age. ... But a new analysis of Neanderthal remains from across the world has found direct evidence that contradicts the chemical studies. Researchers found fossilised grains of vegetable material in their teeth and some of it was cooked."

 

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Sarah Palin is the only real death panel

Way back in the summer of 2009, your Sarah Palin was busy scaring the shit out of The Stupids (i.e., her base) by claiming that the gubmint wanted to vampire-stake Nana in her hospice bed, for fun. Thanks to a new Medicare regulation effective January 1, we will soon relive the halcyon days of snowbilly grifter reality teevee stars attempting to fearmonger your terminally-ill father's DNR out of existence, because Nobama gave a secret Christmas present to America's olds: The Death Panels are back! READ MORE »