All is good as we close the year and decade; hope for the same for all of you. And never fear, I ain’t dead yet, I brought Champagne and Reefer from my friends Mick and Buddy Guy, so let’s get down to it!

Judge Ricardo Urbina has dismissed all charges against the Blackwater guards involved in the Nisour Square killings. He explains he has dismissed the charges because the government violated the constitutional rights of the Blackwater guards by using compelled statements against them. From this extensive presentation of evidence and argument, the following conclusions ineluctably emerge. In [...]

This post from Nate is just weird. As you recall, in my last post on affordability issues, I basically accepted Nate’s selected source for family expenses–BLS data–and showed that even still this plan was unaffordable for a middle class family with child care costs. But what’s remarkable is that, even assuming Nate’s numbers are correct [...]

Barack Obama, doing his best to make Dick Cheney’s questions about leadership look rational, has assigned John Brennan to conduct the Administration’s ballyhooed investigation into the claimed failure of the terrorist watchlist program in the Christmas Fruit Of The Loom Bomber incident.

There has been an unsavory blending of the private interests of corporations and financial institutions with the power and hand of the US government that has created a new breed of robber barons that will prove the downfall of the American society and empire if left unchecked.

Like Nate, I appreciate having a discussion based in facts and details. And Nate says several of the cost estimates I used to show why the health care bill is unaffordable for middle class families “are on the high side.” I appreciate him checking my numbers–as I have said on several versions of the post [...]

The indianapolis Colts are wimpy ass chumps. Say what you will about Brett Favre, he wouldn’t be caught dead pulling punches and taking a dive like the Colts did.

I’ve been seeing a bunch of single, relatively young men with comfortable incomes argue that the health care reform is “affordable.” But seeing Nate argue that the high costs the middle class is still being asked to bear under the Senate health care bill is just a matter of  “having to cut back on vacations, [...]

New York City District Attorney Robert Morgenthau lands a broadside Morgenthau on the Federal oversight and investigation of financial fraud. Morgenthau’s criticism has important implications in light of the recent travails on Wall Street, including powerful allegations currently lodged against Goldman Sachs.

Dawn Johnsen’s nomination to lead the Office of Legal Counsel at DOJ has been killed in the Senate. It is over unless Obama renominated her and the process starts anew. How did it come to this? The only rational explanation is that it is exactly what Barack Obama wanted; Johnsen’s nomination was never more than another Obama political trick on his liberal electoral base.