meet teh stupids

driftglass - Because stupid people need museums too.

Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
--Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968), Strength to Love, 1963

friday morning reads

Sadly, No! - Fukuyama's Gift

The Sideshow - American Scream

Congressman John Conyers - Taking the pResident to court

Colbert smacks down Bill Kristol

friday random ten

Photo by Ryan McManus

Dreamy edition

"Glory Box" - Portishead
"I Go to Sleep" - The Pretenders
"The Dream's Dream" - Television
"All These Things That I've Done" - The Killers
"Hospital Food" - Eels
"Anti-Pleasure Dissertation" - Bikini Kill
"O Si Nene" - Nicolette
"Amongst Butterflies" - Paul Weller
"Boy, Have you Cum" - Will Oldham
"Bob Dylan's Dream" - Bob Dylan

Listen to Neil Young's new album "Living With War"

Video bonus: Patti Smith - "Gloria" on SNL 1976

fuckers

Panel dumps Net neutrality

Internet carriers would have a free hand to charge the likes of Google Inc., Yahoo Inc. and eBay Inc. extra for faster delivery of services to consumers under a bill approved by a House committee Wednesday.

The vote, 42-12, brings a two-tier Internet one step closer to reality despite the wishes of a broad coalition of Web site operators and public interest groups that insist the fees will crush innovation.

The Web companies had hoped to amend Wednesday's legislation, thereby enshrining the status quo of "network neutrality," the catchphrase that has come to represent a system in which all Internet traffic is treated equally. But the effort failed when an amendment introduced by Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., was defeated 34-22 in a largely party line vote earlier in the day.

Internet carriers, including AT&T Inc., have been strident supporters of upending the Internet's tradition of network neutrality and have lobbied Congress to make it happen. They argue that Web sites, particularly those featuring video and audio that require significant bandwidth, should be able to pay extra so that users don't have to wait as long for downloads.

Internet carriers say they would use the money they earn to expand their wallets the Internet's capacity.

The possibility of separate slow and fast lanes on the Internet has galvanized many of the technology industry's biggest companies, including Google, Yahoo, eBay, Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. Although normally rivals, they have forged a united front to oppose the bill they say will give some Web sites an unfair advantage over others and alter the Web's landscape for years to come.

rise of the police state

House Poised to Grant Arrest Powers to CIA, NSA

The House version of the 2007 intelligence authorization bill would grant CIA and NSA security personnel the authority to make arrests for "any felony" committed in their presence, no matter how remote from the foreign intelligence mission it might be, the Baltimore Sun reported today.

Section 423 of H.R. 5020 "appears...to grant to CIA security personnel powers that have little to do with the primary mission of 'executive protection,' and potentially creates a pretext for use or abuse of these powers for the purposes of general domestic law enforcement -- something no element of the CIA has ever been empowered to perform," wrote Danielle Brian of the Project on Government Oversight in a letter to members of the House Intelligence Committee opposing the provision.

Section 432 of the bill grants similar authority to NSA security personnel.

via CorrenteWire

derby briefs

Christian Science Monitor - In roller derby's revival, women elbow to the fore

Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Skaters hope ex-home of Rat City Rollergirls can be saved

The Pocono Record on the Keystone Rollergirls

monday morning reads*

Crooks and Liars has part of the Tyler Drumheller "60 Minutes" segment up. Let the swift boating begin.

BooMan on Josh Bolten's "5-Point Recovery Plan"

Howard Zinn - Removing America's Blinders

Arthur Schlesinger Jr. - Bush's Thousand Days

*[%#@! blogger]

monday morning reads

Crooks and Liars has part of the Tyler Drumheller "60 Minutes" segment up. Let the swift boating begin.

BooMan on Josh Bolten's "5-Point Recovery Plan"

Howard Zinn - Removing America's Blinders

monday morning reads

Crooks and Liars has part of the Tyler Drumheller "60 Minutes" segment up. Let the swift boating begin.

BooMan on Josh Bolten's "5-Point Recovery Plan"

Howard Zinn - Removing America's Blinders

monday morning reads

Crooks and Liars has part of the Tyler Drumheller "60 Minutes" segment up. Let the swift boating begin.

BooMan on Josh Bolten's "5-Point Recovery Plan"

Howard Zinn - Removing America's Blinders