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Military Is Ill-Prepared For Other Conflicts - Four years after the invasion of Iraq, the high and growing demand for U.S. troops there and in Afghanistan has left ground forces in the United States short of the training, personnel and equipment that would be vital to fight a major ground conflict elsewhere, senior U.S. military and government...
[Washington Post Politics] Read it all

Republican Calls Mount For Gonzales To Go -

Two more Republican congressmen called for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's replacement on Thursday. Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) "suggested that it would be helpful to have an attorney general that Congress could have more confidence in," his spokesman said. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) said, "Even for Republicans this is a warning sign ... saying there needs to be a change. Maybe the president should have an attorney general who is less a personal friend and more professional in his approach."

[Huffington Post]

Gonzales's resignation would be one of the least desirable outcomes. That's why Repugs are pushing for it. They know the rot that lurks just beneath the surface of this story so they just want to make the story go away by offering up Abu Gonzales as a sacrifical lamb. The pressure on Abu G must be enormous: He can resign and quietly be assimilated into some huge rat wing corporate law firm for ten times as much money as he's being paid now, then the story disappears and everybody sleeps easier. In light of this, it was nice to hear Chuck Schumer proclaim that there would not be a "Scooter Libby" (fall guy) in this case.

If the rat wing fascist pukes get away with this gross perversion of justice, put a fork in everything that was once decent and admirable about this country. It's over. We're officially a gangster-ocracy. Let me explain in some detail: Read it all

This is the best song in decades. You simply must hear it. It bursts with truth. Don't mess with Texas. Read it all

Using Google Earth to See Destruction - An anonymous reader writes "On Monday, an environmental advocacy group [Appalachian Voices] joined with Google to deliver a special interactive layer for Google Earth. This new layer will tell "the stories of over 470 mountains that have been destroyed from coal mining, and its impact on nearby ecosystems. Separately, the World Wildlife Fund has added the ability to visit its 150 project sites using Google Earth."

[Slashdot]

Major kudos and thanks to Google for this. Mountaintop removal is one of the most odious examples of the rot of corruption brought to you by the Bush Junta. Leaving aside for a moment the wanton environmental destruction this type of mining causes, this practice represents brazen proof that private and public property rights are gone, subsumed by the right of megadeath corporations to make money. The fact is, coal can be (and has been for at least 700 years) extracted in more environmentally friendly ways, but sending miners underground and leaving the surface ecosystem untouched is more expensive than using explosives to blow the tops off mountains, filling in the valleys with the toxic sludge that's left behind. Explosives are cheaper than people. The Bush administration has shown time and again which it would rather employ. Read it all

Thanks to all the time travelers for coming out to see me last night at the Lucky Cat in Brooklyn, and thanks for reminding me to post this message so that you were able to find me. The place was bursting at the seams! On your next trip to 2007, make sure to catch me at that venue, yesterday, March 13. In this timeline, I was 18th on the list and rocked the mic from approximately 10:30 until approximately 10:45. As you know, depending on your divergence, that may vary so I would recommend getting there early because you don't want to miss it.

There were some wonderful acts there last night. As usual, I was about the least technically talented performer, but what I lack in talent I more than make up for in heart. Read it all

I am so fucking pissed off. What's the point in applying for jobs? I've sent out hundreds of applications with nicely worded cover letters and the whole bit. Followed up where I could by phone. Always get nowhere. Gonna end up milking unemployment until that's gone, then what? Maybe if I'm lucky I can find some kind of bullshit temp work with low pay and no benefits. Yay. Gonna end up with a broken marriage because my wife can't tolerate my being a hopeless loser, and who can blame her! Gonna end up living in some shithole little studio somewhere, subsisting on peanut butter and oatmeal bought in bulk. Yay. Read it all

Who can blame Halliburton for wanting to relocate to Dubai? Life's good in Dubai. Every citizen there is fat and happy with a cradle-to-grave welfare system, free state-of-the-art health care, free university education, tons of opportunities to make easy money even beyond their generous allowances. Not a chance in hell of a revolution happening there anytime soon.

Plus, some of the finest buildings in the world are being constructed in Dubai. The best arms bazaars in the world are held in Dubai. There is a nearly endless supply of ultra-cheap labor in the form of desperately poor Indians and Bangladeshis. The freewheeling nature of the place opens up plenty of opportunities to smuggle all kinds of stuff, and that means money can be made and laundered at will. Read it all

Props to the creator of this wonderful work. Check out the page source, too. Incredible work. Bravo. Damn, I love the intertubes. Goddess bless the people who gave us TCP/IP.