That noise you heard between 2:30 and 2:45 pm EST was the Dow plunging almost 1,000 points in fifteen minutes. It came back quickly too, but it's still down about 500 for the day…. UPDATE: Oh, this is reassuring…. In one of the most dizzying half-hours in stock market history, the Dow plunged nearly 1,000 points before paring those losses in … Read More
Reker’s “Traveling Companion” Describes The “Luggage Lifting”
"Lucien", the gay prostitute hired by anti-gay activist George Rekers, finally speaks out on the controversy, which broke Tuesday. Lucien was originally relunctant to comment, but changed his mind "after a heart-to-heart with a friend, Michael, who alerted him to the grim realities of his client's anti-gay activities." Since the story broke, Reker has made public statements that he hired Lucien because … Read More
Women Might Finally Be Able To Wear Pants In Paris
Believe it or not, thanks to a law passed in 1799, women are forbidden to wear pants in Paris. The law was amended in 1892, allowing women to wear pants if they were holding the reins of a horse, and again in 1909, if they were riding a bicycle. Interestingly, female policemen (gendarmes, if my French is correct) wear pants … Read More
Demystifying Miranda
You have a right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to the presence of an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. You know those words. They are heard on TV screens all the time. They are the Miranda warnings. … Read More
Libertarian Ad Doesn’t Work
This ad is supposed to make you think that we're over-regulated as a society, but judging by the comments on YouTube, it actually makes you realize how important government regulation is and how much we take it for granted. All you need to do is change the tone of the background music, and the snarky nonsensical questions at the bottom, and this … Read More
Glenn Beck Show Death Watch?
Due to a grassroots campaign, 123 sponsors have refused to air ads on Glenn Beck's show on Fox "News" (a detailed list of declining sponsors is here). The boycott is even more effective in England, where Beck's program also airs. In England, Beck's show has been running for almost 3 months with no advertising sponsors. Back in the U.S., Beck's audience … Read More
I Was Going To Leave It Alone, But I Can’t
The Rekers story that I blogged about yesterday is getting wide coverage, seeping into the mainstream media. Leno apparently did a joke about it last night. It's somewhat more than your run-of-the-mill conservative-christian-is-closeted-gay story. Reker is a cofounder of the Family Research Council (along with James Dobson), and makes a living (through books, lectures, and testimonies to state congress) opposing … Read More
“Lost” Episode Recap and Prediction
Apparently, if you weren't Caucasian, you died last night. Sun and Jin, after a tearful reunion just last week following a two-season separation, died in a watery Titanic-like "I'll never let you go" fashion last night. And Sayid, who was already dead but kind of like a zombie (I guess), turned back to his old heroic self long enough to do … Read More
Thought For The Day
To those who wish to point out that that Times Square bomber guy was a Muslim-American immigrant, and that this whole episode should serve as a reason to restrict legal immigration of Muslims, can I point out something? The man who alerted the authorities to the car bomb and possibly saved dozens or even hundreds of lives was also a Muslim-American who immigrated … Read More
Meet George Alan Rekers (I Live For News Stories Like This)
George Alan Rekers, a Baptist minister, is considered one of the most prominent anti-gay activists in the U.S. He is one of the founders of the anti-gay Family Research Council who speaks around the world against homosexuality. He frequently testifies for the Christian right in court cases involving gay rights. He was an “expert” witness for the Christian right in … Read More
Dig A Little Deeper, NYT
An article on the front page of today's New York Times contains quotes from various conservation groups indicating that perhaps the oil spill isn't as bad as people think it is. Example: Other experts said that while the potential for catastrophe remained, there were reasons to remain guardedly optimistic. “The sky is not falling,” said Quenton R. Dokken, a marine … Read More
Question Of The Day
So…. why are small-government conservatives — you know, the ones who are always complaining that the federal government is inherently inept — so quick to complain that federal government didn't move, and isn't moving, fast enough on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill? You can't please these people: They didn't want the kind of government regulation that would have prevented such a … Read More
Are Islamic Terrorists Getting Lame?
You know, nine years ago most of us were convinced that al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations were evil masterminds with a vast network of resources, etc. Many people, especially conservatives, thought we needed vast armies to catch the bad guys (and they even mocked reasonable Democrats who urged better law enforcement practices). But lately, and especially in light of … Read More