Links of the Day: Expanded Edition

Ahhh, nothing like a good catharsis to clear the mind. I needed that. Did you enjoy it? Thought you would. Here are some links today, the usual roundup, but with a little more commentary than usual...

-First up- "shock and awe"- 2006 style. In what on its face seems a total 'wag the dog', the U.S. has unleashed the largest air assault since the first few days of the war. Bush is down in the low 30s, it's the third anniversary, so why not give the people some good TV, no? I'm not sure I see the point. We are not fighting large armies- we are fighting a civilian insurgency. If this can help (and perhaps it can), why not start it now? Did the situation change in a way that makes this a more realistic strategy? Why this transparent timing? Just some thoughts:
Largest Iraq Air Assault Since '03 Begins

-Last week, Sandra Day O'Connor warned against the potential rise of dictatorship (gosh, here in America, you say?), brought upon by her anger at the Republican party's attacks on the judiciary. Many on the right have even advocated removal or violence toward judges they don't like. Justice Ginsberg has elaborated on this disturbing trend, describing the seriousness of these threats and their implications:
Justice Ginsburg Reveals Details of Threat

-Those wacky fiscal conservatives running our government have just taken another shit on the American people. According to the AP, "The Senate, on a 52-48 vote, sent to President Bush a bill raising the ceiling on the national debt to nearly $9 trillion and preventing a first-ever default on U.S. Treasury notes." The President, of course, will not veto this and we'll spend a few generations paying this off. The debt per person comes out to $30,000. Info:
Senate Votes to Raise Debt Limit

And still, this is just a small sampling of the day' news. Unbelievable!