Astronomy and Overnight Thread

NGC 4565: Galaxy on Edge
Image Credit & Copyright: Acquisition - Torsten Grossmann, Processing - Dietmar Hager Explanation: Magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 4565 is viewed edge-on from planet Earth. Also known as the Needle Galaxy for its narrow profile, bright NGC 4565 is a stop on many telescopic tours of the northern sky, in the faint but well-groomed constellation Coma Berenices. This sharp, colorful image reveals the galaxy's bulging central core cut by obscuring dust lanes that lace NGC 4565's thin galactic plane

More photos here.

You can always make a donation through the PayPal button to the right to help us out, and if you are thinking of buying anything from Amazon, if you use the links over to the right, just using one of those links to buy anything gets us a couple pennies a transaction.

Pakistani officials: Key Taliban leader likely killed in airstrike

By GottaLaff

A Pakistani helicopter gunship attacked, and most likely killed, a pretty big fish, Maulvi Faqir Mohammed, an al-Qaeda-linked commander of the Pakistani Taliban:

Pakistani officials said Saturday that a top Taliban leader was probably killed in an airstrike in the northwest, dealing another blow to a militant group that fighters say has been leaderless since January. [...]

Analysts said that Mohammed's death, coming amid stepped-up military operations and U.S. drone strikes, would help reduce the Pakistani Taliban to something more like the patchwork of local insurgencies that it was before it grew into a lethal umbrella group. Mohammed had been considered a candidate to lead the national organization.

"They're shellshocked," Aftab Sherpao, a former Pakistani interior minister, said of the Taliban. "Pakistan is on the front foot right now."

Good. Can we leave now?

AUDIO- A Jewish Soldier Witnesses Nuremberg: "We found it in ourselves to give the worst of men due process"

By GottaLaff

I have posted and re-posted about the injustice and cruelty at Guantanamo Bay, about Fayiz al-Kandari, and his attorney Lt. Col. Barry Wingard.

I have also posted and re-posted about why today's military commissions are inferior to U.S. civilian courts.

Kids often ask why they need to study history in school. After all, it's ancient stuff, stories that have been told, times past that couldn't possibly affect them now.

Wanna bet?

Via NPR:

Sixty years ago, the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg handed down its first verdict against Nazi war criminals. The Nuremberg trials were structured as a blueprint for something new in international law law... "crimes against humanity" and "crimes against peace". [...]

Commentator Clancy Sigal was a sergeant in the American army of occupation in Germany. [...]

Evidence which included the shrunken heads of tortured prisoners and lampshades made of human skin. [...]

The U.S. War Department was determined that Goering and the other Nazis leaders would receive a fair trial. At Nuremberg, there would be no secret evidence or closed proceedings. The Allies believed that would betray their ideal of restoring democracy in Germany. [...]

Today, in the midst of a national debate on how to treat captured terror suspects, my mind flashes back to Room 600 at Furtherstrasse 22. We gave Goering and the other war criminals a chance not only to defend themselves but in some cases, preach hate and violence.

In a ruined Germany, where so many corpses still lay buried in the rubble, and life seemed so very fragile, we found it in ourselves to give the worst of men due process.

Those unfeeling, brutal Nazi beasts were terrorists... terrorists who killed millions of innocents.

It's time the GOP starts trusting our legal system instead of playing politics, playing with lives. Our democracy is at stake, as well as our international standing.

Why is that so hard to grasp? And why on earth would the Obama administration even consider caving to the GOP... again? Maybe they should all give a listen to this audio.

H/t: Dave_von_Ebers

Massa's Resignation Helps Pelosi Pass Health Care

By GottaLaff

I've been reading this and hearing this, so now I'll write about it:

[I]f the vote were to come next week, the threshold for passage of health care reform would drop back to 216 from its current 217.

Recall that Republicans delayed the retirement of Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA), simply to boost the vote threshold for health care to 217. Massa's retirement cancels that out.

And remember, too, that Massa voted against health care reform the first time around. [...]

In other words, the resignation actually improves the situation for Pelosi.

And at this point, we need all the help we can get.

Think positive.

TPM has more here.

Utah House Passes Bill Outlawing Nonmedical Abortions

By GottaLaff

Awhile ago I posted about a Utah bill that criminalized miscarriages. Remember? It got a lot of attention, not only here at TPC, but in the media:

A bill passed by the Utah House and Senate this week and waiting for the governor's signature, will make it a crime for a woman to have a miscarriage, and make induced abortion a crime in some instances. [...]

While the bill does not affect legally obtained abortions, it criminalizes any actions taken by women to induce a miscarriage or abortion outside of a doctor's care, with penalties including up to life in prison. [...]

In addition to criminalizing an intentional attempt to induce a miscarriage or abortion, the bill also creates a standard that could make women legally responsible for miscarriages caused by "reckless" behavior.

Today we have a postscript:

The bill still would make abortions not performed by a doctor through a medical procedure illegal. [...]

The new version says a woman is not guilty of criminal homicide if the abortion is caused by a reckless act of the woman.

So as it now stands, if a woman miscarries because she crashes into a tree while skiing, she's in the clear.

How compassionate.

Afternoon Distraction

RNC PowerPoint Fallout: 'Ashamed' donor closes checkbook

Tsk tsk, lots of money out there to lose.

A prominent Evangelical figure and Republican donor says he will end his contributions to the organized Republican Party in reaction to the leaked fundraising presentation that advised using "fear" to solicit contributions and displayed an image of President Obama as the Joker from Batman.

Mark DeMoss, who heads a major Christian public relations firm in Atlanta and served as a liaison to the Evangelical community for Mitt Romney in 2008, wrote Chairman Michael Steele yesterday that he was "ashamed" of the presentation, calling depictions of Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Majority Leader Harry Reid "shameful, immature and uncivil, at best."

"I’m afraid the presentation is representative of a culture and mindset within the Republican National Committee," DeMoss, a past member of the RNC's "Eagle" program for top donors who gave the party $15,000 in 2008, wrote in the letter to Steele, which he shared with POLITICO. "Consequently, I will no longer contribute to any fundraising entity of our Party—but will contribute only to individual candidates I choose to support."

VIDEO- Colbert: "It was casual pimp Friday"; Makes Hannity his b*tch

By GottaLaff

The Colbert Report, March 4:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Tip/Wag - James O'Keefe & Sean Hannity
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Skate Expectations

Slow news days allow us to post the fun stuff. And boyoboy was this fun!

VIDEO: Sarah Palin writes on her hand because she is just like God

By GottaLaff

This is so jaw-droppingly convolutedly typical:


Sarah Palin Speaks at the Ohio Right to Life fundraiser on March 5, 2010.

Via Gryphen:

[...] I heard NUMEROUS reporters and pundits call her out on both the content of what she wrote on her hand during the teabagger convention as well as the fact that she had to write it down to remember it. NOW look who is making things up.

I particularly enjoyed the part about GodClone McJustify's compulsion to scribble a dollar sign on her hand. I'm surprised it wasn't tattooed:

I wonder how much Jesus was paid for HIS speeches?

We know one thing about Jesus: He was no quitter. Sweartogod:

Alaska Rep. Don Young on way to DC: Returning to “monkeyland”

By GottaLaff

The Mudflats has a quote from Alaska's Republican representative Don Young as he was on his way back to Washington D.C. And what a quote it is!

This was what a Mudflatter overheard at the airport, and I'm surprised it's not getting more attention:

I flew into Seattle yesterday with Mr. Young. Waiting in line to board he remarked to someone beside him that he was returning to “monkeyland”… I almost lost control when I heard this, but decided to not create a “situation.”

Um... is that what the insiders are calling it these days? Really?


More here.

VIDEO: Why David Gregory should not be hosting Meet the Press

By GottaLaff

C & L's Heather opines as I would. Please go read her rant. I'll simply remind you of who currently hosts Meet the Press, and why NBC made such an egregiously misguided choice:

Attaboy, David. Show us how objective you are. Give us a little peekaroony at what great judgment you have. Let us in on your profound insights.

Iraq war v. health care reform.

Illegal war that murdered thousands v. a plan to save millions.

Bush v. Obama.

Gregory v. true and accurate reporting.

Puh-leeze.

VIDEO: Wolf Blitzer's apology

By GottaLaff

I've been posting a lot about this lately:

And by "this" I mean not only CNN's ClusterFoxy chyron, but Liz "Dickette" Cheney's offensive campaign to paint federal lawyers as terrorist sympathizers, Countdown's analysis, as well as Rachel Maddow's superb mockery of Dickette's twisted efforts.

But the "this" of the moment is the issue of the tasteless CNN chyron you see in the screen grab above.

Wolf got the message:



Too little too late?

The whole story

By GottaLaff

An interesting tidbit from Greg Sargent:

Jane Hamsher calls for the resignation of Rep Lynn Woolsey as co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, partly because Woolsey told me she’d back the Senate bill with a good reconciliation fix even without the public option.

I want to clarify one point I should have made the other day: Woolsey also told me she’d introduce a bill creating a public option on the same day as voting for the Senate measure.

Communication is everything.

Torture Suit Naming Rumsfeld Clears Hurdle

By GottaLaff

Heavens to Betsy! Land-o'-Goshen! My stars!

A federal judge refused Friday to dismiss a civil lawsuit accusing former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld of responsibility for the alleged torture by U.S. forces of two Americans who worked for an Iraqi contracting firm.

U.S. District Judge Wayne R. Andersen's ruling did not say the two contractors had proven any of their claims. But it did say they had alleged enough specific mistreatment to warrant hearing evidence of exactly what happened.

Boy howdy! Cheese and crackers! Gracious!

While in custody, they were subjected to sleep deprivation, long hours of interrogation, blasting music, threats, hunger and a practice known as "walling" in which subjects are blindfolded and walked into walls, according to the suit.

The suit describes such practices as forms of torture and alleges Rumsfeld personally took part in determining such methods were acceptable for use by the military in Iraq.

Good night! Good gosh 'n' golly! Good call.

Mid Day Distraction

Twitter: The Criterion Collection from sween on Vimeo.

Some NSFW language.

Video- Beck freaks out over the idea that "education is a right"

Obviously a right he didn't take advantage of. Via Media Matters.

Saturday Links

Sunny and mid 40's make Paddy a happy damn girl.

Diamond-shaped ice-mold(ed note- A smart guy would get one of these and freeze an engagement ring in it for a real surprise)

Obsolete professions

GOP fundraising invite may violate rules

Ruling the roost: Hen that thinks it's a dog adopts litter of puppies

Mrs. Obama to donate inaugural gown to Smithsonian

3D modeling tutorial on how to model boy-parts using found photos of chicken drumsticks

Video, Photos- Michelle Obama visits a soccer class

Nice People Mag type stuff for a Saturday morning. Hey, if the Brits think her footwork's good, that's enough for me.

She's introduced a vegetable garden to the White House, has spoken out publicly about her concerns over her daughters' weight and now Michelle Obama has taken to football in a bid to highlight the US obesity crisis.

The First Lady was attending a soccer clinic hosted by the US soccer foundation as part of the 'Let's Move' campaign which aims to give children a healthier lifestyle and teach them how to increase their daily physical exercise

With her immaculate bob and black tracksuit Michelle cut an elegant and enthusiastic figure on the court and showed herself to be pretty neat with her footwork.

Cartoon of the Day

Click to enlarge, via.

Video- President's Weekly Address: The Immediate Benefits of Health Reform

VIDEO- Countdown: Liz Cheney upsets even conservatives

By GottaLaff

Dickette has no common decency. Need proof?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

My Shallow Thoughts on Dickette Cheney here. Brilliant Instant Maddow Classic video accompanied by the dramatic, snarky strains of O Fortuna mocking Dickette here.

Name of associate of The Family appears on C Street deed

By GottaLaff

Per Rachel Maddow just now, and via a video from her show last night, Bart Stupak was paying very low rent for his fancy schmancy digs at C Street. Unusually low.

The Family claims they have no idea who runs/owns C Street, the house that swears it's a church, but not really since there are no services or congregations. But it does have tax exempt status and gives great cut rates to their favorite members of Congress.

Charity?

Rachel got her hands on the deed to the house. C Street Center Inc. now owns it... Marty Sherman, an associate of The Family, has his name on the deed. The same Family that has no idea who owns C Street.

So who is doing those favors for Congress members who live(d) there? Why all the secrecy?

Rev. Eric Williams, who opposes C Street's status, and complained to the IRS, is also trying to get to the bottom of this.

Stay tuned.

I'll post the video when it becomes available.

Shallow Thoughts: Liz Cheney edition

By GottaLaff



Shallow Thoughts:

Liz Cheney is branding lawyers who defend terrorists as Al Qaeda sympathizers.

Does that mean that lawyers who defend serial killers are homicidal maniac sympathizers? And that those who defend the worst kind of kidnappers are pedophile sympathizers?

Despicable Dickette may have forgotten: Defense lawyers have a job to do. It entails defending their clients. That's called "being professional" and it's how the American legal system works. If they fail to do that, they can be sued for malpractice.

Now go slither back under that rock.

That was today's Shallow Thought. Thank you for wading in.

"50 Senators publicly open to using reconciliation"

By GottaLaff

Shannyn Moore was on the phone with Mark Begich earlier today. I decided to toddle over to her blog site to see why she tweeted "WOW!" Lo and behold:

OPEN LEFT is reporting Senator Begich as the 50th confirmed vote for reconciliation for health reform. He has just landed in Anchorage and I am trying to confirm with him. [...]

Go to Shannyn's site to see a letter Begich wrote to a constituent.

That makes 50 Senators publicly open to using reconciliation to finish health reform without any maybes. There will be a reconciliation fix to the Senate health bill, as long as the House first passes one.

Oh House? Your turn!

VIDEO: Sarah the Socialist

By GottaLaff



Great catch by our pals over at The Mudflats:

From the Mystik Lubricant website:

Mystik is an exclusive engine oil sponsor for the 2010 Iron Dog Snowmobile Race and a sponsor of Team #22 Scott Davis and Todd Palin – past Iron Dog Champions.

"So what?" I hear some of you mumbling. "Big deal," I detect from afar. "Now what goofy name is Laffy gonna come up with for Sarah Palin?" I suspect you may be thinking.

Here's the big deal:

It turns out that Mystik Lubricants is owned by… wait for it … Citgo. Yes, that same Citgo that’s owned by Venezuela. Socialist Venezuela. Socialist, Hugo Chavez lovin’, Venezuela.

See? It was worth wading through that rinkydink ad just to witness Lubey McHypocrite step in it one more time.

Thank you Mudflats!

VIDEO- Rachel Maddow Show: Bart Stupak has C Street issues

By GottaLaff

Stupak is trying to hijack health care reform. And he also has a, well, "C Street past" and a problem with transparency. About that rent, Bart....

Nobody does it better:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Quite the exposé.

Maddow VIDEO mocking Liz Cheney; "From Murrow to Blitzer"

By GottaLaff

Greg Sargent has posted a one-liner that caused me to smile and grimace simultaneously.

That must have looked really weird.

But seriously, I had previously posted a screen grab of the "Dep't. of Jihad" chyron that appeared under Wolf Blitzer as he inadvertently confirmed CNN's adherence to the Peter Principle.

Now check out Greg's mini-post:

Glenn Greenwald stacks Wolf Blitzer up against Edward R. Murrow, and finds the comparison somewhat wanting.

Please follow that link. Here's a snippet:

[M]odern political journalism -- at best the vile McCarthyite campaign was going to be presented in the standard "each-side-says" format which defines modern journalistic "objectivity" [...]

In other words, "some say" serve as legitimate sources, and punditiot panels provide "debate". Facts have very little to do with the news any more. As long as two sides duke it out, and ratings don't drop drastically, hey, we're good.

Below is Rachel Maddow's take. She made me crack up/grimace even more.

Which must have looked even weirder.

From yesterday:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Quickie: Tax Cuts and Huge Deficits edition

By GottaLaff

Today's Quickie:

As I read about the CBO's prediction of enormous deficits, this stood out:

The larger deficit so far is due almost entirely to a drop in tax revenue.

The preceding Quickie is dedicated to Tea Tantrumers everywhere.

Fresh Evidence Global Warming Is Man-Made

By GottaLaff

Dear Michele Bachmann, Grabby McOscarSwag, et al:

Climate scientists hit back at the sceptics today with new research they say has uncovered the "fingerprint" of man-made global warming.

Researchers working like detectives investigating a crime compared real observational evidence with data from computer simulations to see how they matched up.

They concluded there was an "increasingly remote possibility" of human behaviour not being the chief driver of climate change.

"Remote".

Main Entry: ¹re·mote
Pronunciation: \ri-ˈmōt\

Function: adjective

Inflected Form(s): re·mot·er; re·mot·est

Etymology: Middle English, from Latin remotus, from past participle of removēre to remove

Date: 15th century

1 : separated by an interval or space greater than usual
2 : far removed in space, time, or relation : divergent
3 : out-of-the-way, secluded
4 : acting, acted on, or controlled indirectly or from a distance computer operation>; also : relating to the acquisition of information about a distant object (as by radar or photography) without coming into physical contact with it
5 : not arising from a primary or proximate action
6 : small in degree : slight remotest idea of what was going on>

Dr Peter Stott, from the Met Office Hadley Centre in Exeter, who co-led the study:

"This wealth of evidence we have now shows there is an increasingly remote possibility of climate change being dominated by natural factors rather than human factors."

By the time the skeptics are convinced, if ever, it could be too late. The damage will have been done, damage that could have been prevented. As it is, irreversible harm has already taken place.

How does it feel to screw up the planet for your children, grandchildren, and beyond? I wonder how Trig will enjoy the new coastline...

The study found natural forces such as volcanic eruptions and cyclical changes in the brightness of the Sun could not explain what was happening to the world's climate, said Dr Stott.

For example, solar heating would have warmed both upper and lower layers of the atmosphere, the stratosphere and troposphere. However, what was seen was that while the stratosphere had cooled, the troposphere had warmed.

H/t: BuzzFlash

Karl Rove: Cheney 'squirmed' when offered VP spot

By GottaLaff

Oh goody. KKKarl wrote all about Dickless McHeartStent in his new book. I'm sure every word he's written is true and accurate.

Of the heartless, by the heartless:

The parts of the 516-page book that cover the selection of Cheney as Bush's running mate suggest that the longtime Republican insider was not comfortable when offered the position.

Neither were we.

"Bush surprised Cheney by asking him to think about becoming his running mate. Cheney said he'd consider it but wasn't certain it was a good idea for Bush or for him."

Oh yes, I'm sure that's just how it went down:

Bush: Whaddya say you run for president, DickHead?

Dickless: You mean vice president, don't you?

Bush: Hehheh, nope. But that'll be my new nickname for ya. Vice President DickHead. But we'll keep that to ourselves. We're like that, me and you. Sym-pat-ic-o. Kinda like conspirators, heheheh. Accessories under the fact.

"Some people have suggested that Cheney engineered his own selection. This is far-fetched. I saw the man squirm as Bush pressed him to accept," Rove writes.

Bush: Whoa, DickHead, yer gittin' all squirmy on me. What's up, a-mi-go?

Dickless: "Vice" president. Too many things wrong with that. F*** "vice".

Bush: Hold up there, chief. You'll be holdin' the reins. Yer the head honcho. Oo! Oo! I know what'll convince ya!

Dickless: For chrissake, George, STFU.

Bush: Nonono, yer gonna like this. Lissen up: I'll bomb Iraq. Ya got my word. To smithereens. And then we'll move on to Iran. Man, this is gonna be a blast! Hey, didja see what I did there? The little play on words? Blast? Bombs? Heheheheheheheh!

Dickless: Deal. ... And never, ever, call me amigo again... for your own good. Just thinking of you, junior. Need you to stay in one piece if I'm gonna be surreptitiously running the damn country.

Bush: What's shrubterishously mean?

Dickless: STFU.

"Cheney had a clear understanding of what John Nance Garner, FDR's first vice president, had said about the office - that it was 'not worth a bucket of warm piss.' Cheney was too much of a patriot to act on that knowledge."

Yeah, Cheney's too much of a patriot to avoid the "warm piss" reference. But not too much of a patriot to avoid telling Pat Leahy to f*** himself. What a stand up guy.

Russ Feingold tells White House to try KSM in civilian court

By GottaLaff

Earlier I posted about the change of heart, er, flip flop, by the White House over the venue for the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial. I also expressed my frustration, and explained why military commissions are inferior to civilian courts.

Looks like I'm not alone. Greg Sargent spoke to Russ Feingold's office and got the following statement. Feingold is the first prominent Congressional Democrat to speak out, but hopefully not the last:

“We have a great track record of successfully trying and convicting terrorists in civilian courts. The military commission system is largely untested, and these cases could easily get bogged down in years of legal challenges. The best way to bring these terrorists to justice swiftly is through our civilian courts.”

Bingo.

The bottom line, as Robert Gates has suggested, is that those arguing against civilian trials for terror suspects are, intentionally or not, actually trying to limit the tools at our disposal for fighting terrorism — for ideological reasons. That point can’t be restated enough.

Thank you Russ Feingold, and thank you Greg.

PhotOh! Billboards of hate against President Obama

By GottaLaff

My pal John over at the Daily Beast sent me a link to what freedom of speech means to some people via a post by John Avlon.

I'm including samples of the handiwork, but please go here for the rest:

As the leaked GOP PowerPoint prompts outrage, its scare tactics are field-tested on America's highways. John Avlon—author of Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe Is Hijacking America, [...] on the grassroots campaign to poison the president.

[T]ake a tour of just one dozen examples of what happens when Obama Derangement Syndrome imposes itself on roadside America. Warning: Wingnuttery Ahead.

This classic from on U.S. 63 near West Plains, Missouri.

This sign appeared in Henderson, North Carolina—the hometown of PBS’ Charlie Rose—until public outcry led the owner to take it down in October ’08. Obama won the state.

Wheat Ridge, Colorado

[This] appears to have been endorsed by the Lafayette County Republican Central Committee—cause nothing says patriotism like overturning democratic elections with an armed insurrection.

Vintage VIDEO: GOP Sen. Judd Gregg On Why He SUPPORTS Reconciliation

By GottaLaff

I'd like to thank Senator Gregg for his thorough explanation. He might want to explain something else now.... why he is arguing with himself these days:



2005:

Republican Judd Gregg explains Senate reconciliation rules - an up or down vote. March 15, 2005.

Either he has a really short memory, or he's a two-faced ass.

I'm going with Hyp. O. Crite.

H/t: Karoli

McCain calls for new ‘Gang of 14’ to stop Obama push on healthcare

By GottaLaff

By all means, follow the wonderful advice of a guy with the judgment of a toddler... who lost the election because he had no grasp of the issues, chose Barbie McLipSchmutz as a running mate on a (desperate) whim, got busted on national Tee Vee for lying to David Letterman, suspended his campaign (and then lied about that, too) to avoid a debate, and... well, is BFF with Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman.

Yeah, let's trust him:

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is seeking bipartisan support to block Senate Democrats from using special parliamentary tactics to pass healthcare reform. [...]

And McCain reminded Democrats that he was a member of the bipartisan Gang of 14, which stopped Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) from using the so-called nuclear option in 2005.

It's time for a similar gang, he said. So far, he’s had no takers.

How shocking.

And reconciliation is NOT the nuclear option. Just FYI.

VIDEO: BLUNT 10

By GottaLaff

Blunt is a lot like letters to the editor.

You have a voice, now use it.

Let the world know how you feel, just like you do here at TPC in Comments or a when you write to a newspaper.

This is one more way to be heard:

(Click on image to enlarge)

For more information about Blunt, follow this link. If you think a video file is too big to email, then go here and use YouSendIt.com.

Please include a name you'd like to use, and a "title", if any, in your e-mail, as you'll see I did in the video graphics.

Remember: Try to keep the videos at 20 seconds or under.

It's your turn. Go.

White House considers military trial for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

By GottaLaff

I'm one of the progressives mentioned in this piece that would not be happy if Obama flips on this one:

White House advisers are considering recommending alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed be tried in a military court instead of a civilian one in New York City, a senior administration official told CNN on Friday.

In November, Attorney General Eric Holder announced his intention to try Mohammed in a New York civilian court. [...]

Progressive activists blasted the potential administration switch.

"If this stunning reversal comes to pass, President Obama will deal a death blow to his own Justice Department, not to mention American values," said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union.

"If the president flip-flops and retreats to the Bush military commissions, he will betray his campaign promise to restore the rule of law, demonstrate that his principles are up for grabs and lose all credibility with Americans who care about justice and the rule of law."

Romero is right. Military trials, as I've said a million times, allow hearsay evidence and false testimony given after having been tortured into submission.

And why is there so little confidence in our legal system? We've handled terrorists in criminal court before with success. Why is this time difference? The BushCo politics of fear is making a big comeback.

We are a nation of laws, not a nation of tortured laws. President Obama needs to stick to his word and adhere to American principles.

Obama Retains More Trust Than Congress on Healthcare

Get him on the road NOW. h/t Greg.

PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans remain more confident in the healthcare reform recommendations of President Obama (49%) than in the recommendations of the Democratic (37%) or Republican (32%) leaders in Congress. But these confidence levels are lower than those measured in June, suggesting that the ongoing healthcare reform debate has taken a toll on the credibility of the politicians involved.

Headline of the Day

For sale: 'Two captured ghosts, trapped inside bottles of holy water to make them sleepy'

Mid Day Distraction

Audio- Beck: If health care reform passes, Obama can control your life; if not, "those on the left are going to become violent"

Yeah, all those damn hippies with their stockpiled guns are gonna.... oh wait. Nevermind.

GOP Strategy: Bleed Reconciliation Fix To Death With Byrd Rule

Greg gets the damn scoop, again. Something, anything needs to be done to stop this crap.

Senior GOP aides have been studying the rule book in recent days, and they think they have a game plan. Here’s how they hope it will work.

At risk of oversimplification, the Byrd rule is designed to ensure that reconciliation is used to only make budgetary fixes, not policy ones, to existing legislation. Presuming the House passes the Senate bill, the House will then pass a reconciliation fix to the bill, after which the Senate will then try to pass that fix, too.

At this point Senate GOPers will repeatedly invoke the Byrd rule to ask the parliamentarian to strip individual provisions (ones fixing this or that in the original bill) out of the fix, on the grounds that they are policy fixes. If individual provisions are stripped, it would change the Senate’s version of the overall fix.

That would force the House to vote on it again and again, stalling the process further.

Raw Audio: Pentagon Shooter's Anti-Government Rants

Man seriously needed some meds. More here, here, here, and here.

Video- Pollster Luntz inadvertently shows why Fox News prefers to call reconciliation the "nuclear option"

It's all wordplay and memes with them. Via Media Matters.

Test explosion shows Christmas Day flight would have landed even if bomb had detonated

Before the wingers get all up in arms, this report isn't saying that it wasn't a terrorist act, or even that it absolutely failed (terrorism aims to terrorize, no?), but it does highlight the desperation and incompetence that Al Qaeda has sunk to. I mean, the kid hadn't even gotten the detonation drill down? I looked for the vid, it's not available in the US, but you can find versions here.

A bomb on board a U.S. Christmas Day flight would have failed to bring the plane down even if it had been detonated successfully, a new test explosion suggests.

A controlled blast on a Boeing 747, using the same explosives that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is accused of smuggling on board, failed to burst the fuselage.

It means, had the bomb exploded on December 25, Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit would have successfully landed .

However, experts said the alleged Islamist terrorist and the passenger next to him would have died, while other passengers would have suffered ruptured ear drums.

(snip)

The controlled experiment was carried out for the BBC Two documentary How safe are our Skies? Detroit Flight 253.

Dr John Wyatt, an international terrorism and explosives adviser to the UN, replicated the conditions on board the Detroit flight on a decommissioned Boeing 747 at an aircraft graveyard in Gloucestershire.

Captain Joseph said the noise and the smoke would have been awful, ‘not to mention the parts of the bodies that were disintegrated as part of the explosion’.

But Captain Joseph said the experiment could help to put air travellers at ease: ‘I think this should be a confidence-builder for passengers.

‘After seeing... how well the aircraft maintained its structural integrity, and obviously the pilot’s capacity to fly the aircraft, it should give them a great deal of confidence.

Unemployment Rate Stays at 9.7%

That's okay, I'm sure we'll be looking for some good news next month too. Via Taegan-

"The U.S. economy shed fewer jobs than expected in February and the unemployment rate was steady at 9.7% despite stormy weather on the East Coast last month, which the government said may have temporarily hit payrolls and work hours," the Wall Street Journal reports.

Without the massive snow storms, this might have been a very good report for the White House.

Video- TV News Anchors Play 'Chatroulette' with Jon Stewart

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Tech-Talch - Chatroulette
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Reform

Brian Williams sure did miss his calling.

Cartoon of the Day

Click to enlarge, via.

Friday Links

In the 40's all weekend!!! Guess it's time to think about yard work again.

Retail sales show strongest gain since before the recession

People lie for online dating but not a lot

Mexican official fired for painting teen's bottom

Politico: Money worries curb GOP optimism
Republicans are feeling pretty good about the midterms. Prognosticators don’t laugh anymore when they talk about taking back Congress. But while wind at one’s back is a good thing, cash in the bank would be better, and on that score Republicans are lagging behind. Their candidates have raised less than half the $84 million that experts estimate it will take to seriously threaten the Democratic majority in the House. The situation at the National Republican Congressional Committee is even bleaker.

Woman sues plastic surgeon over 'botched operation that left her with four breasts'

"Bachelor" videogame coming in June

Why A Salad Costs More Than A Big Mac

Wall Street Journal: South Carolina Race Tests GOP Message Rep. John Spratt appears to be a ripe target for Republicans this year. The 14-term lawmaker is a Democrat in a conservative state. He is also chairman of the House Budget Committee—the panel that is supposed to keep deficits in check—at a time of rising angst over government spending and debt. But in this hard-hit corner of South Carolina, the Republican Party's rediscovered message of smaller government faces a tough test. In politics, unlike accounting, big spending can be an asset, or made to look like one.