Category: Music Page 17 of 29

Surprise, surprise, people are still dumping money into Obama’s coffers.  It appears that the inaugural committee raised about $8 million more than it had budgeted.  Aim your dollars at more important things, folks.

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Iceland on the fast track to the EU?  Probably a good idea overall, but its a pretty sad circumstance that brought us to that:

The conservative government in Reykjavik, in power for 18 years, collapsed this week, the first government to fall as a result of the financial meltdown which has wrecked the Icelandic currency, the krona, wiped out savings and pensions, required a massive IMF bailout, sparked unprecedented riots in Reykjavik, and forced the formation of a caretaker centre-left government until new elections can be held, probably on 9 May.

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Gov. Rod Blagojevich is gone, but let’s not forget that he wasn’t the only one behaving badly.  As I’ve written, the Senate refusal to seat Roland Burris was a bad idea – you don’t get to refuse someone just because you don’t like them.  And that bad judgment seems to have extended to the House, where Adam Bonin found – buried in the stimulus bill – the following:

SEC. 1112. ADDITIONAL ASSURANCE OF APPROPRIATE USE OF FUNDS.

None of the funds provided by this Act may be made available to the State of Illinois, or any agency of the State, unless (1) the use of such funds by the State is approved in legislation enacted by the State after the date of the enactment of this Act, or (2) Rod R. Blagojevich no longer holds the office of Governor of the State of Illinois.

Yes, that says what you think it says.  Adam explains:

Got that, Illinois Senate?  If you want the money, remove Blagojevich from power or otherwise pass a bill making clear that you trust him with the money.  This provision was inserted by Reps. Bill Foster (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), and could cost the state $50 billion in federal aid.

Beyond the general yuck factor, does anyone else remember the Bill of Attainder clause in the Constitution?  It basically says that Congress can’t pass a law punishing an individual without judicial trial; that’s the courts’ job.  Similar concerns rest here: it’s not for Congress to decide who’s fit to be Governor of Illinois; that’s something to be handled in Springfield.

A circus, it seems, and everyone wants in on the action.

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Rep. Peter King of the GOP – party of limited government, remember – wants to save you from camera phones.

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Ugly:

[A] CNN investigation has uncovered evidence that for hundreds of Rohingya refugees — members of a Muslim minority group — abuse and abandonment at sea were what awaited them in Thailand, at the hands of Thai authorities.

Extraordinary photos obtained by CNN from someone directly involved in the Thai operation show refugees on their rickety boats being towed out to sea, cut loose and abandoned.

One photo shows the Thai army towing a boatload of some 190 refugees far out to sea.

And who will speak for these refugees?  No one, I’m guessing.

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Once a Nazi, always a Nazi.

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13 year old girls can rock:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uEKsYHrYlk[/youtube]