Hummer Drivers Believe They’re Defending America’s Frontier Against Anti-American Critics (Links)
Krugman: ‘most widely respected climate models’ show ‘hurtle toward catastrophe’ These days, dire warnings aren’t the delusional raving of cranks. Our relationship to the natural world is a Ponzi scheme Beyond the illegality of Madoff’s scam, why didn’t he consider his responsibility to his clients, to their future, and even to his own? Give birds a break. Lock up the cat Free-ranging felines do a lot of damage to the baby bird populations in neighborhoods. Gila National Forest threatened by off-road vehicles The well-funded off-road vehicle lobby is pressuring forest managers to add unnecessary roads and permit other destructive practices in the forest. Hummer drivers believe they’re defending America’s frontier against anti-American critics Hummer drivers believe they are defending America’s frontier lifestyle against anti-American critics, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, which researched attitudes toward owning and driving Hummers, which have become symbols to many of American greed and wastefulness. Children who are spanked have lower IQs Children who are spanked have lower IQs worldwide, including in the United States, according to groundbreaking new research. Pennsylvania gun nuts shoot, kill each other A car parked in the driveway bore a badge-shaped sticker that read “NRA law enforcement.” Boing Boing offers ‘nourishing soup and sandwiches’ to Ralph Lauren’s deathly ill models “Dude, her head’s bigger than her pelvis.” Ted Williams’ frozen head abused in cryogenics lab Workers at an Arizona cryogenics facility mutilated the frozen head of baseball legend Ted Williams—even using it for a bizarre batting practice, a new book claims.
Reason Number 325 Why I’ll Never Move to Texas (Links)
Krugman on the Need For Bipartisanship ‘What people usually mean [is that] you ought to get the center. We ought to get…the middle twenty Senators to agree on something. The middle twenty Senators are now all Democrats. The Republican party is now a rump on the right.’ Charles Grassley, Coward We should not ignore the sheer personal cowardice of many politicians. Town Hall Gun-Toters Thirsty for the ‘Blood of Tyrants’ The gun-toting protester in New Hampshire used the same Jefferson quote as Timothy McVeigh when he committed his act of mass murder. Did Rifle-Toting Protesters Help or Hurt Gun Rights? New laws are allowing more Americans to carry guns in public. But are gun-carrying protesters going too far? Complaint Over Doctor Who Posted Inkblot Test The doctor, James Heilman, defended his decision to publicize the images on Wikipedia and demystify the secretive Rorschach test. Seattle Times Editor: Bloggers Should Watch What They Say Ryan Blethen says that only trained journalists fully understand the difference between fact and opinion and the use of ‘red flag words.’ Reason Number 325 Why I’ll Never Move to Texas This fall, a 2007 Texas law goes into effect, having all public schools, under mandate, teaching the Bible
The Guns Are Out, the Risks Are Real (Links)
Cheney: We Didn’t Go Far Enough Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney believes that the Bush Administration’s policies should have been pushed much further. Whores on Terror The documentation of “sexual humiliation,” sodomy, and other forms of “enhanced interrogation” conducted by U.S. personnel are too extensive to be denied or pawned off on a couple of redneck privates. Ten of Obama’s Health-Care Missteps What the White House did wrong, in no particular order. Obama Isn’t Saying the Right Thing He should be saying, “Stop lying.” At Health Care Events, Guns Are Out, and the Risks Are Real It’s not enough for conservatives to repudiate violence, as some are belatedly beginning to do. Krugman: Extreme Opponents of Health Care Unappeasable “What they hate is the whole idea of any kind of health reform and more broadly what they hate is the whole idea of Democrats actually holding the White House.” In Alaska, Palin Leaves Behind Mismanaged Health Care System—Hundreds Die Waiting For Care The situation is so bad that the federal government has forbidden Alaska from signing up new people; no other state in the nation is under such a moratorium. A Case of Affinity Fraud The peddlers of anti-progressive lies are managing to convince a certain kind of American—white, socially conservative, etc.—that the hate-mongers are people like them; and, even more important, that progressives are Those People, people not like them. Them Versus Us By 1900, the U.S. had become more diverse and densely populated, with an industrial economy dominated by large corporations, and it had became abundantly clear that government power was necessary to regulate the marketplace, provide a safety net for the poor and elderly, and protect the environment. O’Reilly gloats that Fox’s ratings are due to its ‘fair and balanced’ approach You know how when someone says, “Now, I’m not trying to be a jerk, but…”, you can be certain that what will follow is them being a jerk. Ironic Divorce Protector of traditional marriage Doug Manchester is leaving his wife of 43 years.
Krugman: ‘I Wonder if This Country Can Handle the Crisis We’re In?’
Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman looks at recent remarks by John Boehner, “the second-most influential member of the GOP (after Rush Limbaugh)” :
Boehner’s idea of economics is completely insane…He’s talking about the economic crisis as if it were a harvest failure–as if we faced a shortage of goods, so that the more you consume the less is left for me. In reality…we’re in a world desperately short of demand. If you consume more, that’s GOOD for me, because it helps create jobs and raise incomes. It’s in my personal disinterest to have you tighten your belt–and that’s just as true if you’re “the government” as if you’re my neighbor.
Plus, who is “the government”? It’s basically us, you know–the government spends money providing services to the public. Demanding that the government tighten its belt means demanding that we, the taxpayers, get less of those services. Why is this a good thing, even aside from the state of the economy?
Again, this is what the leaders of a powerful, if minority, party think. Can this country be saved?
[NYT]
Creating a New Motto for the United States
Freakonomics is running a contest to come up with a new six-word motto for the United States.
We recently solicited your suggestions for a new motto for the U.S. Here are our choices for the six finalists:
1. Consumption’s the Cure That Ails Us.
2. We Will Get It Right, Eventually.
3. We Are Too Big to Fail.
4. The Streets Are Paved With CASH4GOLD.COM.
5. Learn to Live Within Your Means.
6. Wow, Can You Believe This Place?
On his own NYT blog, Paul Krugman details his ideas:
The country would be renamed Unisam. The flag would be replaced with a stylized version in terracotta, creme, and teal. And the baffling “E pluribus unum” would be replaced with “Because we’re people who care about people working with people.”
