9/11 Conspiracy Theories "Ridiculous," Al Qaeda Says

Gotta love the Onion:


9/11 Conspiracy Theories 'Ridiculous,' Al Qaeda Says

HIV Travel Ban: Adios

The Senate just passed the repealment of the HIV Travel Ban. This means that immigrants who have HIV and who are legally living in the U.S. will be able to apply for citizenship. The U.S. was one of the few nations in the West who still upheld the ban. Andrew Sullivan (who has been barred from being a U.S. citizen because of his HIV status) has a post about it here.

Congrats to Andrew and everyone else who will be joining the rest of us as U.S. citizens.

Iran Has Nothing on America's Photoshop Skills

In light of Iran's apparent missile test being a giant fakery, some American photoshoppers have come up with "fakes" of their own:

More here. It's the little things like this that makes the U.S. way cooler than Iran.

Love Cab

My cousin Rachael posted this article about a New York cabbie who runs a dating service out of his cab. One of the couples he set up are now engaged:



The full article is here. I'm not usually one for this mushy Hugh Grant/Rachel McAdams lovey dovey stuff, but the story is pretty cool, or whatever the word for "romantic" is in man-talk.

Happy 4th

"I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of
the society but the people themselves; and if we think
them not enlightened enough to exercise their control
with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take
it from them, but to inform their discretion." Thomas Jefferson

Maybe One Day Fox News Will Grow Up

The Tabloid-esque News channel is having trouble being an actual news channel. The channel's morning show, Fox and Friends (aka, The View with men), was doing a piece on New York Times "attack dogs" and their criticism of Fox News. So, in response, the guys on Fox and Friends decided to talk about it, and...well...just read the Media Matters story to be baffled:

"During a segment in which Fox & Friends co-hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade labeled New York Times reporter Jacques Steinberg and editor Steven Reddicliffe "attack dogs," Fox News featured photos of Steinberg and Reddicliffe that appeared to have been digitally altered -- the journalists' teeth had been yellowed, their facial features exaggerated, and portions of Reddicliffe's hair moved further back on his head."

The photos are here:

Incredibly childish, but also kind of funny in a "WTF?!?!" kind of way. I mean, it's pretty trivial, but I never thought they'd sink that low. Here's the clip:



I do believe there is a reason that NBC and CNN have a combined 25 News Journalism awards this year, while Fox News has none. The channel is less about News and more about defending GOPism.

Obama and "Libertarian Paternalism"

George Will tries to explain what "Libertarian Paternalism" is and how Obama might be a conduit for it's ascension into the American mainstream. I'm not convinced. The word "Libertarian" should probably never be used in the same sentence as Obama unless you are describing how he is definitely not one. But George Will is only slightly crazy these days, so he may be onto something.

Have Gitmo Detainees Gone Back to the Battlefield?

Most research shows it's a conservative urban legend.

EURO

I just got done watching the Turkey vs. Czech Republic game on ESPN. The last half hour of the match is a great example of why so many people consider football (soccer for you Amurckans) the greatest sport in the world. Every year, whether it's the World Cup, the Euros, or the Champions League, almost a billion people around the world tune in to watch their favorite sport. Turkey, despite being down 2-0, managed to come back in the last 25 minutes and somehow win 3-2 against a side that was definitely the favorites.

If you're free, watch it on ESPN360.com and find out why people love this sport.

Ron Paul Reflects On His Campaign

Classic Ron:



I have to say: I still love this man. His campaign was such an encouragement to those who still believe small government conservatism is still possible. But the way his campaign was run, from the money-bomb days to the freaking blimp, the grassroots element was especially encouraging. Oh what could have been. I do think he was a bit too old and was a bit too wrong about subjects like the Civil War and immigration, but he was still my candidate. Here he is reflecting on his campaign and giving his speech in his "Hi, I'm your goofy neighbor" sort of way. If only there were more Ron Paul's in America...