Quiche Moraine

Today we begin and end with stories about how the governor of Minnesota intends to end democracy as we know it in this state; notables get JFK award; FBI did, after all, infiltrate Iowa anti-war group, as suspected; Supreme Court to pregnant women: if you want equal benefits, don’t have a uterus; Obama’s new gas emissions guidelines.

During the Viet Nam War, Jane Fonda enraged hawks and invigorated the anti-war movement by visiting Hanoi in North Viet Nam. Many people felt this was aiding and abetting the enemy, and Fonda has not been forgiven by most of these people. Fonda herself has made public statements that visiting Hanoi was the wrong thing to do.

That was her publicist talking. It was the right thing to do.

Superfund polluter to run US environment division; House to make schools greener; U.S. is not carbon flat; wind-powered drive-in (but really, you should probably walk there).

Military thugs still busy brutalizing prisoners; torture ordered during failed WMD search; Howard Zinn on Obama’s mindset; Rumsfeld, “intelligence,” and the bible; Kuwait elects first female MPs.

Barry and I found a car that was not being guarded and the door was open, so we climbed aboard. We walked through four cars, including a Pullman sleeping car. We had never seen a sleeping car except for in the movies, so this was kind of fun. We made our way to the car where the family had set a “home” for the trip. We picked out our seats, grinning that we had beat the system and were in our seats before everyone else. Then we waited. We waited a bit more. We wondered why it was taking so long for everyone else.

Minnesota politics: survey of opinions; Pawlenty health veto reaction; Coleman brief; the ash borer spreads.

Toxic waste: biggest class action case ever in Britain; e-waste; bad news for birds.

Despite our society’s romantic, individualistic notions, ideas don’t spring fully formed from the aether. There is no cosmic fountain of creativity. The muses, just like all the other gods, are relics of superstition.

Graham Backs Pelosi in CIA water boarding briefing dust-up, investigation of Rove advances, investigation of Coleman advances, and details coming out of the hearings on torture.

We are happy to announce, and to celebrate, the one hundredth edition of the blog carnival, I and the Bird.