Over 50% of US population now living in smoke-free environments

Happy lungs. Why do smokers always complain about their rights being infringed when they can still smoke, but just not in public areas? If smokers can find a way where I don't have to be subjected to their pollution, great, I'm all for it. Go ahead and smoke all you want but don't force me to breath it. Until that happens, I would rather breath smoke free air. With the studies that have come out about Big Tobacco juicing cigarettes with nicotine, making them even more addictive, I'm at a loss for why the few but vocal pro-pollution smokers are so interesting in doing the bidding of Big Tobacco.

I am interested in hearing a rational answer from a pro-smoker that explains why it is OK for them to smoke and subject me to their smoke that I don't want to breath or smell. Please note I said "rational." Read the rest of this post...

Da Bears

Oh man, now I have to watch the Super Bowl again. Read the rest of this post...

News items that shouldn't be missed

Couple things we didn't want to overlook from last week:

O'Reilly: Abducted kid "liked" it (via Media Matters.)

Methodist ministers: Just say no to a Bush library at Southern Methodist University. Who needs a pile of old coloring books?

Is Wal-Mart selling non-organic as organic? Consumer fraud?

Robert Redford says Bush owes us an apology. He also owes us our country back Read the rest of this post...

Conservative GOP prez candidate, Sam Brownback, refuses to take position on gay adoption

He was on ABC's "This Week" this morning and outright refused to take a position on gay adoption. Stephanopoulos pushed him repeatedly, and beyond saying that it was an issue for the states to decide, Brownback said he would not take a position on the merits of the issue itself.

Think about that. An uber-conservative Republican presidential candidate - a candidate representing the religious right "family values" wing of the party - is afraid to stake out a position against gay and lesbian couples adopting, lest it hurt his chances at becoming president.

Part of the problem is the Mary Cheney effect. No one wants to offend the First Lesbian. But it's much larger than that. Gay issues are no longer a sure-fire vote getter for the far-right. In this last election, there were numerous examples where gay marriage bans may have actually helped Democratic pro-gay candidates get out the vote. You can only cry dyke so many times.

This is, as they say, rather huge. Read the rest of this post...

There is a reason this video has been viewed 4.4 million times

Matt is a 30 year old guy from Connecticut who traveled around the world and decided to film himself dancing, badly, on camera (using his simple little Canon digital camera, same one I've got). Then he got home, and edited the video by himself. That's it. Watch it. You'll be a better person for it. (And turn up your speakers.)



Read more about Matt here. Read the rest of this post...

Bush to propose tax increase on some workers in State of the Union

Oh, this is gonna be good. If your health care plan is "too good," Bush is going to propose that you get taxed for it. He's proposing a tax increase!

Oh, this is going to be so much fun this week. Count the Republicans who line up behind Bush's tax increase. Just count 'em. Read the rest of this post...

The Iraq War President has the audacity to say he cares about the value of human life

Yesterday was one of the deadliest days in Iraq for U.S. soldiers. Last year, in Bush's war, 35,000 Iraqis died. The way Bush has conducted that war shows an utter contempt for human life and decency. Yet, in the middle of all this news -- and while Bush is escalating his war, the White House sees nothing ironic about Bush purporting to care about human life. Bob Geiger reports that Bush declared that today is "National Sanctity of Life Day."

The hypocrisy is mind-numbing -- even for Bush. Read the rest of this post...

You have to meet the Fugees

If you want a break from politics, check out the article in today's NY Times about the Fugees, a soccer team made up of kids who are refugees from some of the worst wars and conflicts around the world:

The Fugees are indeed all refugees, from the most troubled corners — Afghanistan, Bosnia, Burundi, Congo, Gambia, Iraq, Kosovo, Liberia, Somalia and Sudan. Some have endured unimaginable hardship to get here: squalor in refugee camps, separation from siblings and parents. One saw his father killed in their home.

These little guys are survivors. And, their volunteer coach, Luma Mufleh, is a real hero. The leaders of Clarkston, Georgia don't make it easy for her and the team. If you've got the time, read the article. It's actually inspiring.

The team has a website, www.fugeesfamily.org. Thanks to our reader, Wordsmith, for the link. Read the rest of this post...

Sunday Talk Shows Open Thread

Presidential politics and Iraq on the Sunday Shows. They are practically the same thing these days anyway:

ABC's "This Week"... — Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

CBS's "Face the Nation"... — Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb.

NBC's "Meet the Press"... — Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. and John McCain, R-Ariz.

CNN's "Late Edition"...Iraqi Ambassador to the U.S. Samir Sumaidaie; Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.; Reps. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. and Mike Pence, R-Ind.

"Fox News Sunday"... — Sens. Joe Biden, D-Del. and Carl Levin, D-Mich.; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Watch the madness and provide the analysis. Read the rest of this post...

Blair supporting discrimination against gays

Besides the ability to speak, when you look at the actual end results of Bush and Blair, it's amazing how similar the two really are. Both detest the rule, enjoy police state policies, run roughshod over democracy and now this. Absolutely revolting.

Ruth Kelly is trying to water down new anti-discrimination laws to let Catholic adoption agencies turn away gay couples.

Backed by Tony Blair, the embattled Communities secretary is at the centre of a full-scale cabinet row over the new gay rights laws.

She was forced to postpone a formal letter setting out the exemption late last week because of opposition by her senior colleagues, The Independent on Sunday has learnt.

But Ms Kelly, a devout Catholic and member of the Opus Dei sect, remains determined to include a loophole for her church in the Equality Act 2006 which comes into force this April. A spokeswoman for Ms Kelly, who has overall responsibility for equality, said the minister wanted to "protect the pool of prospective parents" and would be trying to find a "pragmatic way forward" this week.

The Catholic church has threatened to close its seven adoption agencies rather than comply with laws that forbid them to discriminate against gay couples.

Ms Kelly, already at the centre of controversy after admitting sending her son to private school earlier this month, insists she is acting in the best interests of the thousands of children placed for adoption each year.

The Prime Minister is supporting her efforts to water down new laws that are supposed to guarantee gay people equal rights to goods and services.

Fine. Let them close...all of them. If the catholic church is unable to move into the modern world, tough luck for them. It's their loss. Read the rest of this post...

Iraq hospital conditions a breach of Geneva conventions

This according to the top Iraqi doctors and international lawyers. It's hard to win hearts and minds when so many people are struggling to survive.

"Sick or injured children who could otherwise be treated by simple means are left to die in hundreds because they do not have access to basic medicines or other resources," the doctors say. "Children who have lost hands, feet and limbs are left without prostheses. Children with grave psychological distress are left untreated," they add.

They say babies are being ventilated with a plastic tube in their noses and dying for want of an oxygen mask, while other babies are dying because of the lack of a phial of vitamin K or sterile needles, all costing about 95p. Hospitals have little hope of stopping fatal infections spreading from baby to baby because of the lack of surgical gloves, which cost about 3.5p a pair.

Read the rest of this post...