October Surprise!

Obama: Explosives found, bound for U.S.

How long before the right-wing blogs accuse the Obama administration of orchestrating this whole thing as a pre-election plot?

Convergence

"Violent Right-Wing Political Intimidation" and "Cops Caught on Video" memes converge:

Law Enforcement Manhandles Democratic Supporter at Cantor Event | FDL News Desk

Southern Hospitality

TPM:

Profitt's argument seems to be that not only did Valle have it coming but that the whole incident was partly the fault of the police for not proactively arresting Valle before Profitt and his friends had to rough her up and stomp on her head.

Today's Right Wing

Caught on video:
Rand Paul supporter stomps on woman's head - War Room - Salon.com

What I didn't know at the time was what happened outside the debate just before it started. It was there that a female activist from MoveOn, who was attempting to deliver a facetious award to Paul for his corporate-friendly views, was set upon by Paul supporters and knocked to the ground -- at which point one of the Paul backers stomped her head.

When the head-thinkin' fails, the good old boys move on to the head-stompin'.

Uva Continues to Fight Cuccinelli's Abuse of Power

Or, "Authoritarian Douchenozzle Attempts to Prosecute Reality"
Why do Republicans hate reality?
University of Virginia Continues to Stand Up to Ken Cuccinelli's Politically Motivated Attack on Climate Scientist | Union of Concerned Scientists

In its most strongly-worded court filing to date (pdf), UVA characterized Cuccinelli's investigation as "an unprecedented and improper governmental intrusion into ongoing scientific research" and said that Cuccinelli is targeting Mann because he "disagrees with his academic research regarding climate change."

via Bad Astronomy

Common Ground

Something all our Judeo-Christian brothers can agree on: repressing the womenfolk.
Orthodox Jews defend the burqa - Muslim Women - Salon.com

The Orthodox Council is taking a stand on principle, but it's also fueled by fear that Jewish religious practices will be targeted next. It's a reasonable concern: If the government outlaws Quebecers from veiling in certain contexts, what's to stop it from forbidding any number of the sartorial symbols of Hasidim? Indeed, if the bill is passed with the intent of strictly maintaining secularism, one would expect other religious expressions to be outlawed as well.

Not Astute

I guess they forgot to install the depth finder:

HMS Astute: world's most advanced nuclear submarine runs aground - Telegraph

The grounding of the £1.2 billion Astute hunter-killer comes at the end of a dire week for the Royal Navy which has seen its carrier force halved, Harrier jump jets axed and warship force reduced by almost a quarter.

American Authoritarian

A Secular Nation

Must read:
America's True History of Religious Tolerance | History & Archaeology | Smithsonian Magazine

This passage—along with the facts that the Constitution does not mention God or a deity (except for a pro forma “year of our Lord” date) and that its very first amendment forbids Congress from making laws that would infringe of the free exercise of religion—attests to the founders’ resolve that America be a secular republic. The men who fought the Revolution may have thanked Providence and attended church regularly—or not. But they also fought a war against a country in which the head of state was the head of the church. Knowing well the history of religious warfare that led to America’s settlement, they clearly understood both the dangers of that system and of sectarian conflict.

Pure Papal Projection

New technologies confuse reality and fiction: Pope

"New technologies and the progress they bring can make it impossible to distinguish truth from illusion and can lead to confusion between reality and virtual reality," the pope said.

Really!? The Pope, the leader of the Catholic Church, is complaining that something else is blurring the line between reality and fiction? Look at your own organization, Pope Dracula. It has a multi-millenium history of clouding its adherents minds with a pernicious collection of nonsensical claptrap, and technology is supposed to be Making People Believe Stuff That Isn't Actually Real?

Pope, Please!

Good News

Chilean miners may be rescued as early as today - CTV News

Chilean miners trapped deep underground for the past two months are getting ready for the ride of their life as rescuers prepare to bring them to the surface as early as today.