] "Clear Channel drew a line in the sand today with regard
] to protecting our listeners from indecent content and
] Howard Stern's show blew right through it," said John
] Hogan, president and CEO of Clear Channel Radio. "It was
] vulgar, offensive, and insulting, not just to women and
] African Americans but to anyone with a sense of common
] decency. We will not air Howard Stern on Clear Channel
] stations until we are assured that his show will conform
] to acceptable standards of responsible broadcasting,"
] Hogan said.

[ It just did that NOW?!?!? Bullshit. Clearchannel has been raking in money via Howard Stern's obscenity for YEARS and loved every second of it. What's changed? Is this legit or should I fire up the Rove-meter? Did Stern make one too many orgasm sounds on the radio or did he give props to the Dems? Too many strippers and porn stars or too much W. bashing? Did he oppose the Hate Amendment?

My inner conspiracy theory machine is mild and set low, but this set off some warning bells... i'm calling shenanigans. -k]

Howard Stern Show Taken Off Clear Channel Stations

[ Thought i'd post a few political cartoons re: The Hate Amendment... so far, the linked one and the two below are what i've seen :

http://www.rjmatson.com/images/cartoons/NYO334.jpg
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/comics/images/Toles/20040226.gif

The meme link itself is the best one, imho, though i like that RJ Matson one a lot too, because of the quote at the bottom... -k]

Daily Kos || Except for homos

] This proposed amendment, regardless of what Bush or its
] backers say, would impose a complete ban, at all levels
] of government, on same-sex marriages. While Bush claims
] it's necessary to handcuff "activist judges", the
] amendment would prevent the will of the people -- in the
] form of state legislatures -- from providing those
] benefits if they so chose.

[ Preposterous. And the best part? The majority of people will support it. Interestingly, the numbers for 18-29 year olds are almost exactly the reverse of the overall numbers. This is an ongoing problem with politics. The young permit the old to set the agenda, meaning we'll have to go back and change it all in 20 years. Granted, the baby-boomer situation is going to put the young at a numerical disadvantage, but still, apathy is not your friend. -k]

Daily Kos || Bush backs gay marriage amendment

] In what may be the first subpoena of its kind in
] decades, a federal judge has ordered a university to turn
] over records about a gathering of anti-war activists.
]
] In addition to the subpoena of Drake University,
] subpoenas were served this past week on four of the
] activists who attended a Nov. 15 forum at the school,
] ordering them to appear before a grand jury Tuesday, the
] protesters said.
]
] Federal prosecutors refuse to comment on the subpoenas.

[ awesome. stunningly awesome. -k]

Albany, N.Y.: Feds win right to war protesters' records

] "This is the way constitutional rights are lost," he
] continued. "Not in the thunder of a tyrant's edict, but
] in the soft judicial whispers of deference."

well said, wether or not it applies in this case...

] Faced with rising gang activity at Internet cafes -- the
] number of which had grown from three to 22 in two years
] -- the Orange County city of Garden Grove in 2002 placed
] a moratorium on more cafes. It also prohibited minors
] from visiting the cafes during school hours, required
] uniformed security guards on Friday and Saturday nights,
] and demanded the installation of video surveillance
] systems.

does it seem ok for the gov't to force private business to install/hire their own security apparatus? i have mixed feelings here. on the one hand, if something inherent to the business poses a danger (such as, say, a construction site) then appropriate measures to prevent people from harm should probably be mandated. On the other hand, isn't it incumbent upon the city to provide adequate police protection? Isn't it also incumbent upon parents to pay attention to what their kids are doing and keep them out of cybercafes that have a history of violence?

If the owner of the business, as a means of improving public perception, or because of their own ethical motivations, wants to hire guards or put up cameras, that's cool, the public will decide if that's acceptible, but to be forced by the city seems somewhat improper.

Internet Cafe Ordinance Sparks War of Words

] The president of the United States does not have the
] power to detain an American citizen seized on U.S. soil
] as an enemy combatant, a federal appeals court ruled on
] Thursday, in a serious setback to the bush
] administration's war on terror.

fuck you ABC... try "in a serious setback to the Bush administration's mad grab for complete executive power."

] "Where, as here, the President's power as Commander-in-Chief
] of the armed forces and the domestic rule of law intersect,
] we conclude that clear congressional authorization is required
] for detentions of Americans on American soil...."

thank you. of course, i guess this just means the military & 3 letter agencies will be even more careful and secretive when disappearing people.

ABCNEWS.com : Appeals Court Says Bush Can't Hold U.S. Citizen

] The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday over
] whether the federal government should reimburse
] individuals whose sensitive data was disclosed illegally,
] even if no harm can be proven.
]
]
] At issue before the court, according to privacy
] advocates, is how valuable privacy really is.

this'll be a good one to follow

Wired News: How Much Is Privacy Worth?

] Are you a little queasy about unwittingly revealing your
] life's most minute details to a company that sells them
] to big business and the government? No worries, says
] ChoicePoint. Privacy, as we once knew it, is a thing of
] the past.

It's pretty damn long article, but important...

Creative Loafing Atlanta | COVER | BIG BROTHER'S LITTLE HELPER

] Revisiting a motion that had narrowly passed by a 4-3
] vote last month, Los Alamos County Council rescinded
] funding for the purchase of 17 Sequoia Pacific "Edge"
] touchscreen voting machines by a vote of 7-0 Tuesday.

good. at least someone is doing it.

lamonitor.com: The Online News Source for Los Alamos

Thought this one was particularly apropo for this group.

WorkingForChange-This Modern World: Something Truly Terrifying