It appears that the new top man at the Justice Department doesn’t feel that seeing a partially nude statue will send him to Hell or burn his eyeballs out — because otherwise how could you explain this? With barely a word about it, workers at the Justice Department Friday removed the blue drapes that have famously covered two scantily clad statues for the past 3 1/2 years. Spirit of Justice, with her one breast exposed and her arms raised, and the bare-chested male Majesty of Law basked...

Yet another eyebrow is raised high due to Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, who was pitchforked into national headlines last week when he sponsored an amendment that passed the House that banned flag-burning. Cunningham’s big moment on the national stage to pass a motion to get a constitutional amendment that the vast majority of Americans have not been clamoring to have passed came within weeks of him being hit by several scandals involving his allege ties to a defense contractor who...

at …In Search of Utopia, a super-lively, info-packed liberal blog that you can find in our Left Voices blogroll colum. ISOU is fascinating and fun for several reasons. And one of its most interesting facts is that it’s by David Anderson who runs Grupo Utopia Internationale S.A., a company based in Costa Rica. So the outspokesn Anderson has a unique perspective on a lot of issues. You’ll never ever feel bored by ISOU. Even if you’re a conservative you’ll want to make...

(This has been reposted from late yesterday and updated.) Oh, please, Mommy, make Tom Cruise go away…: Tom Cruise criticized NBC ”Today” show host Matt Lauer on Friday when Lauer mentioned Cruise’s earlier criticism of Brooke Shields for taking anti-depressants. Cruise told Lauer he didn’t know what he was talking about. ”You don’t know the history of psychiatry. I do,” Cruise said. Mommy, I thought you told me Tom Cruise is an actor? I didn’t...

I am about to go on a two week vacation. After the news in recent weeks regarding the idiotic remarks of Senator Richard Durbin and Karl Rove, coupled with the ongoing Guantanamo shouting match, the passage in the House of Representatives of an anti-flag burning amendment, and the approval of eminent domain seizures in the name of private development, I need it because otherwise my incredulous anger might consume me. I have some parting thoughts posted on the Guantanamo prison, the Durbin/Rove idiocy,...

God forbid they criticize them — because if they do they might regret it…

This woman almost had one. They toad her not to eat there.

We’ve gotten emails about our posts below (see chain post list under this post) on Karl Rove in which the writers go on and on about how the President’s political strategist was right that Democrats indeed didn’t want to strongly battle terrorism, resisted the invasion of Afghanistan and have such, oh, happy days when they learn that another American soldier has died in the field. But we continue to caution our many centrist, moderate and Democratic friends that all Republicans...

One of our favorite commentators, Democratic centrist Bull Moose has a thank you note to President Bush’s right-hand man and political strategist Karl Rove for his controversial comments. We encourage you to read it in full but we’ll give you a big chunk of it here. We hate the word “fisk” (it sounds like someone who is messing up talking about a police pat down) but let’s do it: My Dearest Karl, Thank you so much for your remarks about terrorist coddling liberals and...

…but this time, it’s a chain of cafes it purchased and decided weren’t raking in as much profit as the stores full of middle-aged women in sweatpants clogging their arteries with a byproduct of lab tests at DuPont. (Exaggerating, of course, but learn the details – and why it matters – here.)

Just a note to let you know about a change…because TMV (who is seldom wrong) messed up on something. If you scroll down you’ll see the welcome return of our Guest Blogger Andrew Quinn, who took a break from blogging. We didn’t realize until today that he actually moved his site. So all these weeks we’ve been looking at his old inactive site. We’ve updated his links on our blogroll and the link to the above left under CONTACT. If you CLICK HERE right now you’ll...

Federal officials say the pot clubs raided Wednesday were actually fronts using medical use of marijuana for good, old-fashioned drug dealing and money laundering. This would seem to counter some fears — for now, at least — that in light of a Supreme Court ruling these raids signalled the opening salvo in a crackdown on people who truly use marijuana for medical purposes. Details on what this case involved, according to the New York Times: Federal authorities said Thursday that they...

I’m creating a list of “A Number of Intelligent Agruments For The Preservation Of The Constitution” over on my page. Please, visit and spread the word.

TMV has to start his posts later today — after 6 a.m. San Diego Time. The reason: yesterday he did two shows in his other incarnation. One was a packed libary program in northern San Diego. The other was a show for military families with special needs at the USO. He didn’t realize that he’d get stuck in hideous traffic due to a San Diego Padres-Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game. As a result, TMV left this site’s home base (his office) at 2:30 p.m and didn’t get back...

…can be found here: High court OKs personal property seizures Majority: Local officials know how best to help cities Thursday, June 23, 2005 Posted: 1450 GMT (2250 HKT) WASHINGTON (AP) — – The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that local governments may seize people’s homes and businesses — even against their will — for private economic development. It was a decision fraught with huge implications for a country with many areas, particularly the rapidly growing urban...

Let me get this straight: Republicans who were upset over the over-the-top remarks of Senator Richard Durbin and the pungent comments of Senator Harry Reid are now defending Karl Rove accusing liberals and Democrats of not wanting to fight terrorism — and in effect wanting to see American troops die? Can there be any doubt that this White House and administration have no desire to work for national unity, even on issue of terrorism? It’s MO seems to be division and polarization —...

If you wondered whether the federal government would REALLY go to war and go after people who are using marijuana for medical purposes after being armed with a Supreme Court decision it seems you have an answer here in California: Federal agents executed search warrants at three medical marijuana dispensaries on Wednesday as part of a broad investigation into marijuana trafficking in San Francisco, setting off fears among medical marijuana advocates that a federal crackdown on the drug’s use...

It feels like Morning in America all over again, as the House passed the Flag-Burning Amendment by more than 2-1. Among the “yes” votes were 77 Democrats who either deeply revere the flag or are still battling delusions that Republicans are calling them unpatriotic, instead of some other slur, like “liberal” or “ACLU member.” Only 12 Republicans broke away from the pack to vote no. The Hit & Run post linked above mentions a congressman I assume represents...

Once AGAIN some politicians in Congress have literally wrapped themselves in the American flag, passing yet another resolution to outlaw flag burning. You know: that issue that EVERYONE you know is upset about, that issue that everyone you know is clamoring for action on — that issue that Americans are talking about as they pay higher gas prices, watch the news about Iraq, and have their bags and their grandma’s bags searched by TSA security agents at airports. We could write a nice,...

I cannot recommend more highly reading this entire post by John Cole: Durbin Wrap Up. To provide an incentive, I give you a quote that encapsulates what I have been trying to convey about the prison at Guantanamo: The fact of the matter is, we just don’t know the whole story. And no matter what the blowhards and the administration apologists (and I used to be one) say, it isn’t liberal ACLU pro-terrorist anti-military crazinesss to demand the facts and to demand that we behave better...

My head just might explode, because I’m in the midst of the meeting-hell-week that I have mentioned at my own weblog Random Fate, so I don’t have much time to write here. Then, Congress goes and does this: House Backs Ban On Flag Burning By THE NEW YORK TIMES Published: June 23, 2005 WASHINGTON, June 22 – The House of Representatives passed a resolution on Wednesday proposing a constitutional amendment that would enable Congress to prohibit the destruction or debasement of the...

Is the fecording industry doomed?

An appeals court decision this week is a major setback for the right of college students at publicly-funded universities to not face censorship by school officials. Read more here.

Now the big lingering question is: if President George Bush’s controversial nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton is put to another vote and the vote fails, will Bush opt for a recess appointment? There are some official GOP voices urging him to do just that, while some GOP voices express hope that something could be worked out with the Democrats — and some journalists say in the end a recess appointment won’t happen. For instance, Newsday’s Washington Bureau Chief...

FYI, TMV uses his blogroll. In coming weeks you may see some changes. Some blogs on the blogroll, it turns out, are inactive. We see a few that had us blogrolled but we disappeared from their blogrolls (and yes we know we get both the right and left upset). If you’re a visitor to this site you know that our blogroll almost never has a blog removed if it’s not 100 percent in agreement with us — mainly since no one agrees 100 percent with us (not even our co-bloggers on this site). We...