Four in the morning, came without a warning...

Gah!  I hate Night Ranger!  But that's what my brain vomited up when I awakened, once again, far too early.  Got a full day ahead of me, so I'd better get my outrage on now.

Posted this to FB, but it's so...  I don't know, horrifying and outrageous and sad, that I thought I'd brighten everyone's day with it.

What's wrong with this picture? The TEXAS OBSERVER reports that the single piece of forensic evidence - a human hair - that resulted in Claude Jones's conviction and eventual execution was found this week through DNA testing to NOT BE HIS. In other news, Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia said that the death penalty is not cruel and unusual punishment.

So yay for that.

Amitai Etzioni has a good but short piece comparing the rationale of military leaders vis-a-vis our engagement in Afghanistan to rainmakers in primitive societies:

Those of us who opposed the war in Vietnam and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, find all this all too familiar. Generals are wisely very reluctant to go to war, but once they do, they hate cutting their losses and calling it a day. This is why we must raise our voices. We cannot build a legitimate, effective government in Afghanistan. We should let the people of Afghanistan figure out what kind of government they want. And it is up to Pakistan and India to work out their differences, curb terrorist groups that aim to undermine their regimes. We never could be the world's policeman, and we are less equipped to do so now than we were in more affluent days. Above all, never mind the shamans' excuses. Look at the result, here and now.

Kudos to US military contractors in the Mideast. Well done. <sarcasm alert> (David Isenberg's Exposing Troops to a Carcinogen Is Not Part of Supporting the Troops)


But, best for last.  I leave you with Xtranormal on the Federal Reserve.  Absolutely brilliant.