Daily Blend: Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Bradley Manning

I feel like writing a song …

♪So I wake up to that red light
Always that fucking dead light
And from here on out I know that I’m fucked
I try to wait a little while
Might as well be a mile
Or maybe two, I dunno, it’s just so long♪

• Public dirty laundry: Paul Baranek, biological father of Military Religious Freedom Foundation co-founder Mikey Weinstein’s daughter-in-law, writes a nasty little letter to the Colorado Springs Gazette berating them for repeatedly mentioning that oh-so-anti-Christian Weinstein. Which prompts a vehement response from the daughter, Amanda Weinstein, defending Mikey as her true father and as someone who is far from anti-Christian – just anti-injustice.
  (via Dispatches From the Culture Wars)

• Hyperbolic Guardian article claims that “science has been changed forever” by “Climategate” and that climatologists are now more open about their uncertainties. Heavily sensationalistic, but the kernel of truth is present.
  (via The Daily Grail)

• Defiant Thomas Jefferson changed the wording in an early draft of the Declaration of Independence referring to the people as “subjects” to “citizens” to further dispel idea that the people were to be ruled by a tyrant.
  (via The Daily Grail)

• Sharks aren’t all you should fear when you go to the beach. Here’s another handy, nightmare-inducing list for ya.
  (via The Daily Grail)

• Interesting piece on how horses may be able to eventually catch up to dogs in ability to understand humans and physical cues.
  (via The Daily Grail)

• At least it’s not child molestation for once: Catholic priest in Connecticut charged with stealing $1.3 million in church money for personal use, including – you guessed it – male prostitutes.
  (via @washingtonpost)

• Drudge Report headline claims that the government is blocking access to websites with “controversial opinions” … based on a story explaining how the TSA is now barring its employees from accessing chatting, violent and gaming websites because they’re “inappropriate for government access”. Finally, the TSA is doing (a little) something right – though you can still count on Drudge to be a dishonest scoundrel about it.

• Bradley Manning ^[pictured], alleged leak of the “Collateral Murder” video, has now (finally) been formally charged for his “crime” by the army. He now faces up to 63 years in prison. Daniel Ellsberg, call your office.
  (via @wikileaks)

• The women of The Daily Show speak out against a recent slanted and poorly researched Jezebel article claiming that there’s a current of institutionalized sexism behind the scenes. Let’s just say: The 40% of TDS staff who are female strongly disagree.
  (via @hemantmehta)

• Political legal thuggery: Having recently redesigned her website portraying her as a “mellow-minded conservative”, US Senate candidate and Tea Party favorite Sharron “rape is God’s plan” Angle (R-Nevada) threatened to sue her opponent, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada), for putting her old website up for display to show just how much of a wingnut she really is. Update: Undeterred, the Reid campaign has ignored the threat of lawsuit and reposted the old website anyway.
  (update via @todayspolitics)

• Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle (R) predictably vetoes same-sex civil unions bill.
  (via @todayspolitics)

As always, if you have any story suggestions, feel free to send them in.

Tags: Paul Baranek • Mikey Weinstein • Amanda Weinstein • Climategate • science • communicating science • Thomas Jefferson • Declaration of Independence • American history • beaches • safety • horses • animals • animal psychology • priests • Drudge Report • dishonesty • Bradley Manning • whistleblowers • The Daily Show • Jon Stewart • women • sexism • Jezebel • legal thuggery • Sharron Angle • Harry Reid • censorship • Hawaii • Linda Lingle • LGBT rights • civil unions