Odds and Ends

More news stories that slipped through the cracks in the past few days...

The AP has the 'DUH!' headline of the month: 'Bush keeps revising war justification'. It notes he has moved "from narrow military objectives at first to history-of-civilization stakes now". The article runs through of litany of shifting rationales from WMDs to 9/11 ties to saving Iraq from Saddam to the WWIII battle between good and evil. I did note, however, that though this lengthy piece features many quotes, not one of them is from a Democrat/liberal. So biased that media is.

Another Republican about to go down? Reports indicate that "The FBI is investigating whether Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., used his influence to secure lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter."

Meanwhile, media lust for another sex scandal is waiting on news from an investigation into Rep. Jim Kolbe, the only openly gay Republican in Congress. Federal prosecutors in Arizona have opened a preliminary investigation into a camping trip that Kolbe took with two former pages and others in 1996. Where's Ken Starr and his multi-million dollar semen-investigating powers when you need him?

Democrats refuse to endorse Rep. William 'freezer cash' Jefferson, favoring a different candidate instead.

Seventeen prisoners from Guantanamo- you know where we keep all the terrorists so dangerous we have to torture them and try them without evidence- were released and have arrived in Afghanistan. They maintained that they were falsely accused. One said that "most" of the prisoners there were innocent and had been turned in to the U.S. military by other Afghans because of personal disputes.

Military documents obtained by the ACLU revealed "new details about the Defense Department’s collection of information on demonstrations nationwide last year by students, Quakers and others opposed to the Iraq war." For instance, a 2005 anti-war rally was labeled as "potential terrorist activity". No wonder they can't find Osama, they're tracking down Cindy Sheehan instead.

New polls show that more Americans are supportive of gay rights, despite a resurgence of homophobia-baiting following the Foley fallout. In related good news, more polls indicate that attempts this year to use gay marriage as a wedge issue are largely being ignored by voters.

Finally, an analysis shows that when it comes to campaigning, Democrats are from Mars and the Republicans are from Venus. Don't blame me, I'm voting for Kodos.