Some links via Radley

If you don't already read The Agitator, you're missing out...

• Starting to think this “how do I reduce my carbon footprint?” thing is getting a bit out of hand. 
• Me, I think this guy should have received some sort of trophy.
• The filthy underworld of the . . . tomato paste industry.
• Couple in drought-stricken area replace their grass lawn with less water-intensive ground cover. City sues for code violations.
• The Wall of Death!
• Why have libertarians become the bogeyman of the left?
• Guess it’s true on the right, too, where David Brooks continues to blame libertarians for all the problems caused by big government politicians David Brooks supported.
• I think Axe Cop is brilliant. It’s a comic where the story is driven by a 5-year-old boy, but written and drawn by his 29-year-old brother. Finding that men tend to like it more than women. Or more precisely, those of us who were once 5-year-old boys tend to like it more than those of you who weren’t.

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• NYT on good work from the ACLU in its campaign against government abuses from the 'war on terror'
• Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.) celebrates a murderous tyrant.
• New regulations to inhibit entrepreneurship.
• Fannie and Freddie should go the way of the dodo, but won't.
  
• AmCon says legalization of online poker is a sure bet
• How to be a tech support expert in 9 easy steps.
• Cool stairways

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Betsy's Page: It's just too dang hard to govern...

What Chait really can't stand is that there are moderates in the Senate who are concerned with the opinions of their states and also like to support the economic interests and businesses located in their states. So Democrats elected from more conservative states like Kent Conrad of North Dakota or Ben Nelson of Kansas aren't jumping all over themselves to push through Obama's health care plans or cap and trade plan in a reconciliation package that would need only 50 votes instead of 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.

While I'd disagree with his premise that those vile Republicans are more willing than Democrats to push through their agenda, the major problem that Chait has with the Senate is that whole democracy thing. Dang those senators who are representing their constituents rather than the party. This is why we have a Senate and don't just have representatives elected at large or have the party select all the senators

Economist's Free Exchange: Let us now talk about Paul Krugman...

the [Newsweek] piece addresses none of these questions, and focuses instead on Paul Krugman the man—who is he, what he's like, how he got to where he is, and so on. Felix Salmon says the piece reads this way because the author and editor are unwilling to come to grips with whether Mr Krugman is right, and can only focus on whether he's worth listening to. They're still, Mr Salmon says, in a state of denial.

I disagree. I think the story does what it does, because that's what Newsweek can do—profile a big personality. They're not up to the task of answering the big questions on banking policy, and probably wouldn't even know where to begin.

Also at Newsweek: The Education of Timothy Geithner

(meme) McClatchy: Feds declare GM, Chrysler not viable, refuse more aid...

The government sought the departure of GM chief Rick Wagoner and said the company needed to be widely restructured if it had any hope of survival. It said it would provide the company with 60 days operating capital to give it time to undertake reforms.

The government will grant Chrysler 30 days operating funds, but said it must merge with another carmaker in order to remain viable. Talks with Italian carmaker Fiat are underway.

Megan: Wither GM?

Underpants gnomes!

The Daily Beast: Obama's Marijuana Buzz Kill

Politico: Marijuana issue suddenly smoking hot

Memeorandum colors: Visualizing political bias with greasemonkey


This Firefox extension is quite handy when you already know one side's take on a story and just want to find the other's.

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Andrew Sullivan: basic. human. rights.

Megan McArdle: All your toxic assets are belong to us

Culture 11 diaries: Intellectual rot in the Centre-Right, Pro-life incrementalism

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ABC: talks to Rahm

TPMCafe: 'I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear...'

FiveThirtyEight: If you subtract 9.3 points from Obama's total margin in all 50 states, he would have still won.

Will Wilkinson: Atheistic societies are better. However -- and this is the interesting part -- minority atheists underperform in majority religious societies like America's.

Daniel Larison weighs in on the Douthat vs. Kmiec abortion/Obamacon issue. It's a pretty interesting read, along with one of the comments.

Sign of the times: Investment bankers are absent from this year's white truffle auction.

The American Prospect grades the election theories like the Bradley Effect, PUMAs, etc. The winner? Not really a theory, but always trust Nate Silver!

A day at The Daily Show: the writers have a panel discussion on the present and future of news comedy

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NYT: Stinging Talk About Obama? Never Mind Now

There is a great tradition of paint-peeling political hyperbole during presidential campaign years. And there is an equally great tradition of backing off from it all afterward, though with varying degrees of deftness.

But, given the intensity of some of the charges that have been made in the past few months, and the historic nature of Mr. Obama’s election, the exercise this year has been particularly whiplash-making, with its extreme before-and-after
contrasts

Prop 8: Andrew says to chill. V.C. proposes civil disobedience instead of an anti-Mormon backlash. Coates continues to wrestle with the now painfully obvious African-American anti-gay bigotry.

Jonathan Chait, TNR: Republicans are slow learners who don't understand that Palin == Bush.

V.C. Obama won't repudiate Bush-era legal opinions

Politico: Obama has historic youth mandate, margins four times greater than JFK.

Culture11: Top 11 Ways President Obama Will "Change" the Executive Branch

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700 newspaper front pages: from around the world

Newsweek behind the scenes: How he did it (campaign stuff from sources who requested info be held till after the election)

From 52 to 48 with love: Nice gestures.

Historic triumph: sand sculpture in India

New Democratic coalition: It's the suburbs, stupid.

The view from sixth grade Brooklyn: NYT has a profile.

The Klan chimes in on Obama: Watch them squirm.