Category Archives: National news

So it turns out that all those records about George W. Bush’s TANG service in 1972 were not “inadvertently” destroyed after all. They were “inadvertently oversighted”, or something like that, instead. Still no actual indication what Bush was doing during … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I thought the whole Annie Jacobsen story was an embarrassment from the beginning, but after reading this, I wouldn’t want to leave the house any time soon if I were Ms. Jacobsen. Undercover federal air marshals on board a June … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Bonassus notes that the newly-opened Presidents Park, which features the Giant Presidential Heads of artist David Adickes, is doing just fine, thank you very much. The park has drawn more than 20,000 visitors since March 1, [Everette H. Newman … Continue reading → Continue reading →

What is it with Republican Senators and their bizarre obsession with interspecies intercourse? “It does not affect your daily life very much if your neighbor marries a box turtle. But that does not mean it is right. . . . … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Happy Fourth of July! We’re celebrating at home this year. Tiffany got to celebrate by taking a little shopping trip – to Target and Central Market – by herself. I got to give Olivia a bath (first solo effort by … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Paul Krugman writes about William Krar, the terrorist John Ashcroft hasn’t bothered to tell you about. Result: Already several hundred Google search referrals to this post, which is currently the #2 search result. In a just world, of course, Orcinus … Continue reading → Continue reading →

According to the Star-Telegram, legislation is in place to allow residents of states with no state income tax to deduct sales taxes from their federal income tax. [Tom] DeLay, R-Sugar Land, said in an interview with the Star-Telegram that the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Allow me to join Atrios, John Scalzi and no doubt many others in congratulating those who’ve queued up like American Idol wannabees in front of city hall in Cambridge in order to get married. Mazel tov, y’all! Here are a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Snarkout has a typically entertaining and link-filled look at the history of oil production. Check it out. Continue reading →

Did I miss a memo? Is this National Bash The 17th Amendment Week and nobody told me about it? Zell Miller, Georgia’s maverick Democratic senator, says the nation ought to return to having senators appointed by legislatures rather than elected … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Today is the ninth anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City, a despicable act of terrorism that killed 168 people. This is what I wrote about it two years ago. My thoughts and prayers … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Samuel Johnson once said that patriotism was the last refuge of the scoundrel. Apparently, he lived in a time before partisan politics. Partisan attacks on the Sept. 11 commission escalated Friday when House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, said … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Be very, very skeptical when you see politicians push ideas like this. Now that the dreaded deadline is past and the tax forms are in the mail, consider this question: Would you rather slog through a morass of paperwork every … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Everyone else is linking it, so for my own future reference and your enlightenment if by some chance you haven’t seen it, here’s that Presidential daily briefing you’ve heard so much about. Full text is beneath the More link. Continue reading →

Yet another Texas poll shows that there’s a roughly even split of opinion over President Bush’s immigration reform plan. Forty-eight percent of the 1,000 Texans surveyed randomly by telephone endorsed Bush’s plan, 45 percent opposed it and 7 percent declined … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The editor of Blah3 performed at a benefit concert for the victims of the Station fire in Rhode Island, and he’s got some things to say about the experience. Check it out, and also check out this Rolling Stone article … Continue reading → Continue reading →

You’ve probably heard that the Senate just passed a rule to require a supermajority for any new tax cut or spending increases that don’t have a counterbalance over the next five years. I’d like to call your attention to what … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The US Mint will be rolling out new nickels soon to commemorate the Louisiana Purchase, then even more new ones with a Lewis & Clark theme. Millions of the new nickels have been shipped to the Federal Reserve, supplier of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Rod Paige tries to make amends for his recent remarks in which he called the NEA a “terrorist” organization. My eyes kind of glazed over reading this piece, but fortunately Greg made it all the way through, and he aptly … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Nothing says “culture” to me quite like giant sculptures of Presidents’ heads. As the sun played across his great stony countenance, George Washington had the look of a man whose teeth hurt. But if he was pained by his primitive … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Front page headline in today’s Chron: Al Qaeda Still Poses Threat. Despite U.S. success in attacking al-Qaida’s hierarchy, the terrorist network is still capable of “catastrophic attacks” against the United States, CIA Director George Tenet told the Senate Intelligence Committee … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Remember when no one paid any attention to Rod Paige? Boy, weren’t those the days. Education Secretary Rod Paige called the nation’s largest teachers union a “terrorist organization” today, taking on the 2.7-million-member National Education Association early in the presidential … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’ve expressed skepticism before about President Bush reaping a political windfall from his recent immigration reform proposal. While it’s possible, if he actually puts some political capital on the line, that he might swing some Hispanic voters his way with … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Today is Bill Russell’s 70th birthday. Six days ago, Hank Aaron turned 70. 1934 was obviously a pretty good year for producing sports legends. Other than that, I don’t really have a point here. Continue reading →

Damn. Kevin Drum has an interview with Bill Burkett, the former National Guardsman who was recently quoted in the Dallas Morning News saying that then-Governor Bush’s chief of staff, Joe Allbaugh, told the National Guard chief to get the Bush … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Chron runs what I believe is their first story about William Krar, the man from East Texas who was found with 800 grams of cyanide (that’s about 28 ounces; according to the story, it’s enough to kill everyone in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here’s an interesting way of looking at the current economic climate: the BAN Prosperity Index. The BAN Prosperity Index is a weighted aggregation of six economic indicators that directly affect poor and middle class Americans. Included in the aggregation are … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Hey, guess what? That godawful Medicare bill is gonna cost more than the President promised it would, and in doing so will push the deficit to over half a trillion dollars. The White House will estimate the cost of creating … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Good news – telemarketers can no longer obscure their identities via blocking Caller ID. Telemarketing firms must begin complying with new federal rules that require them to display their name and a phone number where they can be reached. The … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Lottery winner killed by truck ELWOOD, Ind. — A man who won $57,000 in an Indiana lottery game taped for television died hours later when he was hit by a pickup truck. The Hoosier Millionaire featuring Carl D. Atwood, 73, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Bob Keeshan, aka Captain Kangaroo, has passed away at the age of 76. Keeshan, who lived in Hartford, Vt., died of a long illness, his family said in a statement. Keeshan’s “Captain Kangaroo” premiered on CBS in 1955 and ran … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’ve been wondering lately if immigration issues will cause a rift in the Republican Party during this election season. There’s already some conservative rumbling over government spending, though I agree with Nick Confessore that it’s a bit early to make … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Bill emailed me to ask if I’d seen this story about William Krar, the man from Noonday, Texas, who recently pled guilty to various charges stemming from a few items he had in his house: Inside the home and storage … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Julia has a fine collection of news links to get you up to speed on the Mad Cow story. Here’s one link that I’d like to highlight. During a House debate last summer over a possible ban on using sick … Continue reading → Continue reading →