Wonkette
- California boasts three booming economic markets: technology, Hollywood, and prisons. The prison system was dealt a serious blow when judges ruled that massive overcrowding was preventing inmates from receiving adequate healthcare. The population must be reduced by 36,000 to 57,000 inmates. [Los Angeles Times]
- The Obama administration follows Bush’s lead when it comes to rendition, a policy that has the ACLU and others hoppin’ mad. [Wall Street Journal]
- The French are bailing out a couple of hometown auto makers, which irritates the Germans. [Reuters]
- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he’ll sit down for talks with the US, but what does that mean? [BBC News]
- The final death toll for the Australian bush fires may hit 300, the prime minister warned. [The Age]
- Yay the stimulus bill is about to pass! But committees will still have to reconcile the House and Senate versions, and in the end the only thing the bill will promote is more five-dollar footlongs. [The Economist]
SKS, I thought Pot was the third pillar of Kaliphonya’s economical?
Beware the Drug/Gang/Prison Incarceration Complex!
Once again, the sandwich heavy portfolio pays off for the hungry investor.
/Zoidberg
In an unrelated event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCbuRA_D3KU&feature=related
How about we take one of the less populated states and send the extra prisoners from the other 49 states there, sort of like a modern day Australia. Alaska would be a good choice since they have plenty of room and a geographic isolation from the rest of us (Sorry about that Yukon Territory and British Columbia). We don’t even need to fly them up there. Put them on buses with a one way ticket to Wasilla. They seem tolerant of bent behavior there.
Terry:
I was thinking Texas.
Thank goodness the French auto industry has been saved! The one thing the world needs right now is more crappy automobiles.
Speaking of rendition, when do John Yoo’s bullshit legal memoranda become public? Must we wait for his war crimes trial?
It’s just because Hopey is considering renditing George, maybe to Iran…
Servo:
Functionally, the rest of the US and parts of Mexico have been doing that for more than 170 years now. Texas is about full up of criminals and crazies. The few sane people are at wits end.
Cape Clod:
I don’t recall any apology for the Citroen 2CV or the Renault Le Car.
I wish I could have invoked the state secrets privilege after I broke that vase.
Quick memo to the Obama Administration: the people on the street in the cities that matter (Jakarta, Islamabad, Riyadh, Tripoli) know that we are giant, torturing hypocrites. It’s not a state secret.
Plus the plan to give trillions to Geithner’s friends. Madoff was a Ponzi scheme. From now on, any cognitive regulatory capture will be called a Geithner scheme.
I had a dream last night that we had a competent Treasury Secretary, and it was so exciting that I had to change the sheets.
WadISay:
At least one page went public.
BTW: anyone who wants to shit their pants canjust read this.
Serolf Divad:
Great. I think I’m going to buy a couple of guns, a bunch of ammo, a case of hobo beans and that Ford GT Falcon modified as the Mad Max Interceptor.
The cynical part of me is convinced the rapists will be running free while the weed smokers rot in jail.
Servo: Wyoming would be better — the nice rectangular shape will make it easier to build the walls.
SKS: Teh Economist said nothing about footlongs. Fixed in comments.
Serolf Divad:
I’d actually been wondering why something like that hadn’t happened. It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.
Servo: The French apologizing for something! That’s rich!
Terry: I vote for Georgia– it’s sole purpose for even existing was as a
penalpenile colony.If you want to harass the interns at the White House send daily pissed off screeds/missives to Hopey by ranting here — http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ — you only get 500 words but you can write as many 500 word “WTF HOPEY WHY WE STILL RENDITING THIS NOT CHANJE I CAN BEREAVE IN YOU MUSLIN I THOUGHT YOU WERE A FAR LEFT WACKO WHERE’S MY MUNNIES?”
Um, you can write as many of those as you want.
hobospacejungle:
Mr. Obama. Why dont you were a jackit in the ovil office like a real presidint? Don’t you realize that by doing that you personify the abrogation of the trappings of it? I hav nevr bin so ashamd to call myself an American!
Hey, when you’re a hobo, a five-dollar footlong is a gourmet meal.
As for the Australia fires, it’s too horrible to even snark.
so michelle obama continued her offensive practice of using her brain and speaking yesterday, this time hanging out with some native americans at the interior department; but this time she added insult to injury by wearing a pantsuit, she really is another hillary clinton! this kind of behavior from women folk cannot stand.
Man, that Australian fires thing is insane. 300 people all crispy-critters in one bad weekend? In America we got 7.5% of the population unemployed; in Australia they got 7.5% consumed in bush fires.
I can’t get health insurance. So I’m thinking that I should go out and commit a crime so I’ll get sentenced to jail and then
maybe I’ll get the health care I deserve.
I mean…since these judges are so worried about criminals getting health care and not about me: a single, hard working
mother and up til now, a law abiding, productive citizen.
MarysNeck: Or you could emigrate here to Melbourne where we have socialised health cre and world class burns units.
friendlynerd: Because that is what will happen.