Links for 15 May 2009

Politics:
Michael Savage has the nerve to ask Hillary for help (I've come across this story three times today, and I've had a laugh every time. If Clinton even asks the lowliest clerk at the State Department to help Savage in his complaint against the UK, I would consider her to be extremely magnanimous.)

Cheney's MAD ("[W]hy would a wildly unpopular figure who has proclaimed he has no future political ambitions mount such an unprecedented public campaign to criticize his successors?" A question I had been asking myself. My own pet theory is that he's trying to lay a legal groundwork (i.e., poison the well in his favor) should he be charged with crimes against humanity.)

Latino advocates press for federal investigation of Luis Ramirez' hate-crime death in PA (Back on May 8th, I linked to a story about a Mexican immigrant who was murdered in rural Pennsylvania, with the alleged murderers being acquitted. However, a number of civic groups and politicians are pressuring the Dept. of Justice to press civil rights charges against the two teenage boys accused of Luis Ramirez's murder.)

Truth, Justice, and the American Way ("We should waterboard Cheney to get the truth about what happened regarding the interrogations. He says it's not torture, there's no lasting damage, and it works, so what are we waiting for? I want the ad revenue from the live broadcast.")

57 percent of GOP insiders think Cheney has ‘hurt the Republican Party since leaving office.’ (No duh!)

Perry again refuses to reject secession. (There must be something in the water in Texas...)

Sessions: Guantanamo detainees are lucky because they get ‘tropical breezes.’ (Your moron quote-of-the-day: "[Prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay] wouldn’t be treated any better in the United States, and they wouldn’t have the tropical breezes blowing through,”)


Economics:
Where's my recovery, dude? (The "joy" of economics is that economic data is never straightforward, especially in the trends one hopes for.)

Paul Krugman: Empire of Carbon (Krugman on China's pollution problem: "Sooner than most people think, countries that refuse to limit their greenhouse gas emissions will face sanctions, probably in the form of taxes on their exports. They will complain bitterly that this is protectionism, but so what? Globalization doesn’t do much good if the globe itself becomes unlivable. ... It’s time to save the planet. And like it or not, China will have to do its part.")

Why I Think Retail Sales Are Bottoming


Business:
Chrysler Dealership Closings ("The Chrysler dealership network is a highly bloated, inefficient network compared to the Japanese competition. ... Toyota sells more cars with fewer than half the number of dealers...")


Islam/Muslim Blogs:
British company dumped toxic waste in Africa

Muslim GP was 'forbidden from going to mosque' (These doctors who prevented a Muslim woman doctor from attending prayers might well consider reading Surah Al-Alaq (96).)

Blog About Palestine Day 2009 (By special request! Always happy to oblige, if I can.)


Miscellaneous:
Elusive Jellyfish Nebula

Lunar Leftovers: How the Moon Became a Trash Can

The Menace from Earth (Robert Heinlein's "juvenile" short story, first published in 1957, available for free. Click here if you want the plot synopsis.)