Rolling Stone observes that perhaps the new FCC regulations are batcrazy ridonkulous:

…the Bush administration won House approval for a bill that would raise the maximum FCC fine to $500,000 per violation…

If the bill passes the Senate, Bono saying “fucking brilliant” on the air would carry the exact same penalty as illegally testing pesticides on human subjects. And for the price of Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” during the Super Bowl, you could cause the wrongful death of an elderly patient in a nursing home and still have enough money left to create dangerous mishaps at two nuclear reactors. (Actually, you might be able to afford four “nuke malfunctions”: The biggest fine levied by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission last year was only $60,000.)

If Bush has his way, Howard Stern may soon have a tough choice to make: Tell a sex joke on the air, or dump toxic waste in New York’s drinking water while willfully placing an employee at risk of injury or death?

Ann Coulter’s latest column remarks on Jeff Gannon that “press passes can’t be that hard to come by if the White House allows that dyspeptic, old Helen Thomas to sit within yards of the president.”

Or rather, that’s the article as edited by her syndicate. The original on her Web site is a little different, referring not to “dyspeptic, old Helen Thomas” but instead “that old Arab Helen Thomas.”

Oh, c’mon, Ann. Why pull punches? Why not just call Thomas a towelhead?

I’ve been doing exactly this for years; nice to see Hollywood’s on board.

At last, something accurate from the Drudge Report! We couldn’t have taken a better picture ourselves.

(thanks to Regis for the link)

On Wednesday, Canadian PM Paul Martin gave this eloquent speech on Canada’s Civil Marriage Act. Finer words ne’er spoken.

Four years ago, I stood in this House and voted to support the traditional definition of marriage. Many of us did. My misgivings about extending the right of civil marriage to same-sex couples were a function of my faith, my perspective on the world around us.

But much has changed since that day. We’ve heard from courts across the country, including the Supreme Court. We’ve come to the realization that instituting civil unions – adopting a “separate but equal” approach – would violate the equality provisions of the Charter. We’ve confirmed that extending the right of civil marriage to gays and lesbians will not in any way infringe on religious freedoms…

To those who would oppose this bill, I urge you to consider that the core of the issue before us today is whether the rights of all Canadians are to be respected. I believe they must be. Justice demands it. Fairness demands it. The Canada we love demands it…

The people of Canada have worked hard to build a country that opens its doors to include all, regardless of their differences; a country that respects all, regardless of their differences; a country that demands equality for all, regardless of their differences.

If we do not step forward, then we step back. If we do not protect a right, then we deny it. Mr. Speaker, together as a nation, together as Canadians: Let us step forward.

I have Chief Executive Envy.

Chuck Schumer’s office has taken Congressional Budget Office economic assumptions and combined them with “Plan 2″ of President Bush’s Social Security Commission to draw up this calculator of how much you will lose under Bush’s “We Must Help Wall Street Save Social Security” plans.

A few weeks back, we here in Boston had a major scare, wherein it was reported that some Chinese nationals were loose in Boston, possibly to plant a “dirty bomb” of radioactive material.

Well, it seems that they found the radioactive material in Boston. Just turns out that Chinese nationals weren’t behind it after all, but someone else.

Perhaps this is their plan to reduce the number of blue-state voters?

Fafblog discusses Gonzales’ confirmation.

Ouch.

That John McCain was ultimately beaten, broken, abused, and violated for nothing is regrettable, but understandable… as regrettable and understandable as the old men and boys rounded up in villagewide sweeps on the way to Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. But to make an omelet, one must break eggs, and war, after all, is the biggest fucking omelet there is. We have a lot more eggs to break, and it’s good to see the senator join the rest of us while the kitchen burns down.

Our fearless leader explains his Social Security program:

THE PRESIDENT: Because the — all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There’s a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those — changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be — or closer delivered to what has been promised.

Does that make any sense to you? It’s kind of muddled. Look, there’s a series of things that cause the — like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate — the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those — if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.

This man went to Andover. And Yale. And Harvard.

(link via Atrios)

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday that Iran must live up to its international obligations to halt its nuclear program or “the next steps are in the offing.”

“And I think everybody understands what the ‘next steps’ mean,” Rice told reporters after a meeting with NATO foreign ministers and European Union officials.

Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more.

Jesus CHRIST I cannot believe this woman is our nation’s TOP DIPLOMAT.

“Intelligent design” should be taught in schools. “Global warming” is a myth. This is the kind of science we’ve come to expect from today’s GOP. So it should be little surprise that Sen. Tom Coburn – who’s a doctor – believes that “if you have [breast implants], you’re healthier than if you don’t. That is what the ultimate science shows. . . . In fact, there’s no science that shows that silicone breast implants are detrimental and, in fact, they make you healthier.”

(via Wonkette)

Informed Comment

Prof. Juan Cole, a man who actually knows what he’s talking about, shakes every can in a six-pack of whoopass and opens them all under Jonah Goldberg’s face.

Goldberg is now saying that he did not challenge my knowledge of the Middle East, but my judgment. I take it he is saying that his judgment is superior to mine. But how would you tell whose judgment is superior? Of course, all this talk of “judgement” is code for “political agreement.” Progressives think that other progressives have good judgment, conservatives think that other conservatives have good judgment. This is a tautology in reality. Goldberg believes that I am wrong because I disagree with him about X, and anyone who disagrees with him is wrong, and ipso facto lacks good judgment.

An argument that judgment matters but knowledge does not is profoundly anti-intellectual. It implies that we do not need ever to learn anything in order make mature decisions. We can just proceed off some simple ideological template and apply it to everything. This sort of thinking is part of what is wrong with this country. We wouldn’t call a man in to fix our plumbing who knew nothing about plumbing, but we call pundits to address millions of people on subjects about which they know nothing of substance.

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

courant.com | Statement of Senator Chris Dodd

An excellent, excellent speech.

Mr. President, almost sixty years ago to this day, the first Allied forces liberated the condemned people of Auschwitz. On that day, the full horror of the Nazi genocide was laid bare, and all doubt about it was laid to rest.

Within weeks, my father was on a plane to Nuremberg, Germany. There, he began what would be perhaps the most formative experience of his professional life: serving as Executive Trial Counsel at the trials of Nazi war criminals.

At that time, there were loud calls against trying the Nazi leaders. Many called not for due process of law, but for summary executions.

Yet the United States, as a member of the Allied powers, insisted on the rule of law rather than the rule of the mob.

Even these most despicable and depraved human beings were given an opportunity to retain counsel and to testify in their own defense.

And in that moment in history, the world learned something very important about the United States of America.

It learned that this nation will not tailor its eternal principles to the conflict of the moment.

It learned that — as far as the United States of America is concerned — even the mightiest cannot escape the long arm of justice.

And it learned that our nation will recognize the words “I was just following orders” for what they are: a cowardly excuse, which has no place in a nation of free men and women.

MSNBC – Iraq Votes

Rod Nordland, Newsweek’s Bagdhad bureau chief, calls it like he sees it. (the whole transcript is well worth reading.)

Hellowell, ME: why does Bush care so much about what happens in Iraq when there are so many poor, sick, poverty-stricken people in the U.S.?
Rod Nordland: Who said he cares?

For those of you who plan to watch the State of the Union tonight, be sure to check out how Bush’s past speeches stack against today’s reality. Thanks to the Center for American Progress to keep tabs for us.

It seems there are a few funds unaccounted for in Iraq.

Where by “a few” I mean “9 billion dollars”, and by “It seems” I mean “I can’t freaking believe this guy got re-elected because”.

(thanks to Jen D-W for the link)

It should come as no surprise that someone who believes Joe McCarthy was a patriot also has some other historical misimpressions.

See the video!

(link via Metafilter)