Things You Don't Talk About in Polite Company

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Nobody Likes The Happening --Nobody likes The Happening.

Over at The New Republic, James Kirchick says, "
This isn't just radical environemntalist fare; it's perverse and anti-human." Meanwhile, Jesse Taylor at Pandagon calls it an "anti-science Intelligent Design film." (10:46 PM) 0 comments Links to this post

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Booman on Southern Populism --See here.

I've suggested that the Democratic Party should be a progressive-populist alliance. Populists in the mold that Booman describes are not just southern, but also found in the Midwest and Mountain regions. They are better coalition partners for progressives than Blue Dogs or DLCers, I think. (8:24 AM) 0 comments Links to this post

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We Are (The) Family --Here's a thread at Open Left featuringJeff Sharlet, author of a book about the Family, also known as the Fellowship, a secretive Christian group with several influential members. (2:11 AM) 0 comments Links to this post

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Pfleger suspended --Via Political Punch:

Francis Cardinal George, the Archbishop of Chicago, just issued the following statement about controversial Obama friend Father Michael Pfleger:

"To put recent events in some perspective, I have asked Father Michael Pfleger, Pastor of St. Sabina’s Parish, to step back from his obligations there and take leave for a couple of weeks from his pastoral duties, effective today. Fr. Pfleger does not believe this to be the right step at this time. While respecting his disagreement, I have nevertheless asked him to use this opportunity to reflect on his recent statements and actions in the light of the Church’s regulations for all Catholic priests. I hope that this period will also be a time away from the public spotlight and for rest and attention to family concerns.

"I hope also that the life of St. Sabina’s parish may continue in uninterrupted fashion. Fr. William Vanecko, Pastor of St. Kilian’s parish, will be temporary administrator of St. Sabina’s and will assure the full complement of ministerial services during this period. I ask the members of St. Sabina’s parish to cooperate with him and to keep him and Fr. Pfleger in their prayers. They are in mine."

(4:43 PM) 0 comments Links to this post

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Moinorail --matthew Yglesias notes a dispute between a Republican who wants to build a monorail and a Democrat who doesn't. I would have set the over/under for first response referencing The Simpsons at 4.5. The first response to do so is #3. I don't know if I have a career as a bookmaker. (7:47 PM) 0 comments Links to this post

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Iraqis say Marine promoted Christianity - Conflict in Iraq- msnbc.com --Iraqis say Marine promoted Christianity - Conflict in Iraq- msnbc.com: "A U.S. Marine handed out coins promoting Christianity to Muslims in the former insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, outraged Sunni officials said Friday. The U.S. military responded quickly, removing a trooper from duty pending an investigation."

Maybe they should punish him by not removing him from duty and seeing what happens. (7:47 PM) 0 comments Links to this post

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Factoring Scott McClellan --Jossip reports that Bill O'Reilly will finally get to talk to disgruntled Bush administration mouthpiece Scott McClellan. This after complaining that McClellan backed out of an agreement to appear, only to have someone from McClellan's publisher note:

I work for McClellan’s publisher and saw first-hand what happened: We booked Scott’s media on the highest-rated shows that called us first. Whatever Scott may have said to him in the past, show producers know that these gigs are booked through book publicists. But we did not get a call from O’Reilly. When we reached out to them, because Scott did very much want to appear on Fox’s best-rated show, O’Reilly’s producer would not agree to have Scott come on unless they could “go first.” Since we already had long committed to other shows who demonstrated early interest, we could not just put O’Reilly at the front of the queue and renege on those existing commitments. Whereupon O’Reilly’s producer declined to have him on at all. We are happy to sell books to anyone, and have booked many an author on O’Reilly; but we are not happy to acquiesce to the “me first or I don’t play at all” tactics of show producers, nor do we like them then trying to pass off the absence of the guest as some kind of evil money-making ploy on our part and moral superiority on theirs. So it’s not ok for a publishing house to try to make money, but ok for a television show to try to get ratings (which lead to advertisers which lead to money)?

(7:24 PM) 0 comments Links to this post

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Science Has Good and Bad Consequences --Over at Firedoglake, Dr. Kirk Murphy writes: "Last week, we learned the latest new 'hot' technology -- carbon nanotubes -- could be every bit as deadly as asbestos (a former 'hot' technology). A few days before that, we learned cell phone use during pregnancy makes the fetus far more likely to grow up to have behavioral problems. Ho-hum. Yet more chapters in our American lives -- and deaths -- without the precautionary principle."

Here's a warning for technophiles who think that science will solve all problems. It used to be that people thought that genetically modified organisms would serve world hunger. They haven't and, in fact, some people are now afraid of them. I predict a similar trend for some of the newest science miracle methods out there. It could be stem cell research or it could be something else. Maybe we will discover that wireless internet use causes behavioral problems, too. I don't know what it will be, but it seems wrong to fail to consider the possible worst-case scenarios. Concentrating on only the good consequences that you think might happens leads you into mistakes like a stupid war in Iraq. (12:03 AM) 0 comments Links to this post