From ABC News: A senior Justice Department official, charged with reworking the administration’s legal position on torture in 2004 became so concerned about the controversial interrogation technique of waterboarding that he decided to experience it firsthand, sources told ABC News. Daniel Levin, then acting assistant attorney general, went to a military base near Washington and underwent the procedure to inform … Read More
Ten Worst Album Covers Of All Time (And The Best One Of All Time)
From Mental Floss: 10. Ken: By Request OnlyI can assure you, Ken, we have only one request. 9. Something Special from JeffPoor Jeff looks like death warmed over, from his Herman Munster tan to that funeral director suit. I just hope the “something special” he’s got for us doesn’t involve that hook. (Or perhaps that’s his instrument. After all, Radiohead … Read More
On Mukasey
Look, I know I have biased political views, but I like to think I can at least understand both sides of any debate, even if I agree with only one side. But I just don’t understand how there can be any doubt on this very simple question: Is waterboarding torture? You can engage me in a debate about whether the … Read More
Not To Military-Bash…
… but I don’t have a lot of confidence in our military sometimes. First, there was the incident in late August when a B-52 flew over America accidentally carrying nuclear warheads in what has been described as "one of the worst known breaches of nuclear weapons handling procedures in decades." "Yeah", you may say. "But it’s not like those warheads … Read More
Shorter Townhall Columnists
Shorter David Strom: "OMIGOD!!1!! Government of Minnesota is going to the Arctic!!!1!!" Shorter Burt Prelutsky: "The Nobel Peace Prize would be much more relevant if they gave it to people who waged war." Shorter David Limbaugh: "Hillary is not indecisive; she’s inconsistent. Oh, and a man, too. Zing!!" Shorter Lorie Byrd: "I haven’t quite been able to connect the whole … Read More
Headlines That Give Me Pause
US Seeks to Remove Pirates From Ships Aye, matey! But not without a hearty fight, arrrrrr….. Man with beer takes hearse to go fishing "Drunk man" maybe? The whole "with beer" thing throws me…. Police seek Nebraska teacher, 25, and 13-year-old boy Yup. Another naughty (female) schoolteacher. ‘Goat sucker’ actually a hairless coyote Either way, I don’t really want to … Read More
Hell No They Won’t Go
Can the State Department force its employees to go to Iraq? Uneasy U.S. diplomats yesterday challenged senior State Department officials in unusually blunt terms over a decision to order some of them to serve at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad or risk losing their jobs. At a town hall meeting in the department’s main auditorium attended by hundreds of Foreign … Read More
Investigations Into Blackwater
A TPM tally: * The Nisour Square shootings: An Iraqi investigation concluded that the Blackwater guards were not under attack when they opened fire. As a result, the Iraqis asked the State Department to pull Blackwater out of Iraq. The FBI is leading the most active American-led investigation of the shootings. The FBI investigation superseded a preliminary State Department investigation … Read More
Here We Go Again….
The rightosphere is pushing the meme that Hillary is a lesbian. I remember hearing that one as far back as 1992. This time though the lesbian in question is a Muslim!! (More rumor-mongering here) Ten bucks says it will be on Fox News within a week. They won’t report it as fact. That’s not how it works. Instead, they’ll just … Read More
Hitler Had Tailpipe Problems
Footnote to history: It may sound like a Woody Allen scenario, but medical historians are unanimous that Adolf was the victim of uncontrollable flatulence. Spasmodic stomach cramps, constipation and diarrhea, possibly the result of nervous tension, had been Hitler’s curse since childhood and only grew more severe as he aged. As a stressed-out dictator, the agonizing digestive attacks would occur … Read More
Why Our Toys Are Unsafe
Because the GOP is all into deregulation, that’s why. They’ve gutted the consumer protection statutes and bureaus (note: the CPSC under Bush actually doesn’t want to do it’s job) and left it up to the businesses themselves to behave responsibly. Mother Jones explains what has happened as a result: What happens when manufacturers are left to police themselves Zenith projection … Read More
Blog to Book to Big Screen: Julie & Julia
This book started as a blog back in 2002 (link to the blog’s first post here): Julie & Julia is the [true] story of Julie Powell’s attempt to revitalize her marriage, restore her ambition, and save her soul by cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I, in a period of 365 days. … Read More
Write That Novel!
November is National Novel Writing Month. Bet you didn’t know that. If you have a novel within you, or think you might, then Nanowrimo is for you: What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month’s time. Who: You! We can’t do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let’s write laughably awful yet lengthy … Read More
Innovative Halloween Pranks You Are More Than Welcome To Play On Me
From Frank Ferri: Destroy my driveway with a jackhammer. (I sleep through anything.) Excavate 9 to 11 inches deep. Install brick pavers, arranged in any pattern, but preferably with a dramatic circle of stones in the middle. Hilarious! Carefully sneak around back. I’ll leave the light on so you can see. Situate fine-grained teak furniture—eight chairs and an oversize table—on … Read More