More anecdotal benzene for the fire.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

Video clip on recent EPA finding about fracking.

Oh the fracking debate, how we love thee. Dueling amateur analysis of scientific studies. Dueling documentary exposes funded by various special interests. There is enough bullshit to power a million buffalo-chip furnaces.
( Cut. )

Bernie to the rescue!

[rick-day.livejournal.com]

US Senator Bernie Sanders (I) Vermont introduces a constitutional amendment to strip corporations of right given personhood, and allow states to severely 'regulate' election spending.

Said Sanders: “There comes a time when an issue is so important that the only way to address it is by a constitutional amendment,” 

one of several sources.

Good idea? Bad? Campaign pledge signing time? That tactic worked with 'no new taxes'.

Bernie introducing the amendment to the senate

Same old, same old

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

The Senate passes a bill that allows the government to detain an American citizen indefinitely without a trial.

...And a video:


"We're not a country which runs prisons which locks people away without ever telling them why they're there or what they're charged with".
...
"We're not a nation that locks people without charging them".
-- Sen. Barack Obama, on his campaign trail

Jon Stewart addendum: "BUT I'M GONNA WORK TO CHANGE THAT!"

"As president, Barack Obama will close the detention facility at Guantanamo." [source]


You, Mr President, are just adorable. >:-O
You, Senators, too. Really? A 5-minute objection from... Rand Paul, out of all? That was it?

( But it gets even better! )

Book Club Poll Results

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

The people have spoken, and our book will be The Federalist Papers.

A recommendation, if you're looking for a digital copy, is this free edition if you're on a Kindle, one of these editions for Nook, or here for anyone (PDF here).

Looking at the calendar and the holidays, why don't we say that we'll set the discussion to begin on Thursday, 12 January.

For those not taking part in this, enjoy a baffling Christmas tune:

Friday lulz. Famous people you've met?

[luvdovz.livejournal.com]

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How about these guys?

Anouk Teeuwe, or just Anouk. Awesome performer from Holland! Satindra Kalpoe, the drummer of Anouk's band, is a close friend. Been to several backstage rehearsals before their gigs in NL. Anouk ROCKS!

[Error: unknown template video]

( Also, Dinand Woesthoff from Kane )

And you?

Atheists and the Election

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

In this video Penn Jillet talks about the candidates from the perspective of an atheist.As he tends to do, he makes several very good observations. Though to be honest I actually think he gives some of front runners WAY too much credit on the "not a nut job" scale. 

His comments about how "Christians" as we think of them today didn't really exist before the 60s is especially interesting. And I think rather true. It is rather amazing that abortion managed to get sects that had spent centuries killing each other under one tent. And if you really think about it that is something that really would have been impossible 100 years ago but now we accept it as a simple fact of life.

Anyway, while I myself am agnostic I agree with a lot of the points Penn makes here. And shake my head at just how sad it is that in a nation with seperation of church and state that this sort of spiritual theater has to go on in EVERY election. On the other hand, at least it isn't like it is in the Middle East. That's something to be grateful for.