First Looks category archive

Simulate a burning cross for Christmas.

John Cole has the skinny.

I am so sick and tired of those who sell hate in the (dis)guise of love.

I’m going to curl up and read my murder mystery and listen to KCEA now. Murder mysteries: where evil is clearly evil and evildoers actually get punished in the end.

Thursday, 7 p., Bellefonte Cafe, 804 Brandywine Blvd., Bellefonte, Del.

Maps and directions here.

Latest blog post here.

And, thanks to Bushonomics, there’re plenty of reasons to drink. Liberally.

According to FL, we will be at a new venue, the Plough and Stars on 2nd between Market and Chestnut, Center City Philadelphia, still starting at 6 p.

There’s ample street parking and pay lots for folks like me, who really have no reasonable choice but to drive (drive=30 mins.; SEPTA=1 1/2 hrs. and a transfer each way, not counting the drive to the train station at this end and the walk from the Gallery Station to the venue at that end).

James Wolcott nails it.

Her neanderthal political views notwithstanding, she just grates.

Fixed.

Chalk up another win for the good guys:

The Southern Poverty Law Center sued the nation’s second-largest Klan outfit on behalf of a Latino teen severely beaten in 2006 by two Klan members. The Klansmen were convicted and served two years in prison.

A jury on Friday ordered Imperial Klans of America grand wizard Ron Edwards and two former lieutenants to pay 19-year-old Jordan Gruver $1.5 million for lost wages and medical expenses and Edwards to pay $1 million in punitive damages.

Sign up to be part of the forces of Truth, Justice, and the American Way here.

Brendan makes a phone call.

Steve catalogs the atrocities.

The Republican Party is culpable for welcoming–nay, inviting–these persons and their attitudes into its ranks.

It sowed the wind. Let it reap the whirlwind.

Addendum:

The Booman Tribune has more.

Whaddya got?

P-R-E-T-E-X-T

Auxiliary Bishop Roger Morin of New Orleans, chairman of the US bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) committee, announced yesterday that the campaign would no longer fund the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). ‘There will be no funding relationships with ACORN groups in the future,’ he said. The action was prompted by reports of embezzlement; CCHD funds, said Bishop Morin, ‘were not involved with those that had been embezzled.’

This would, of course, have nothing to do with ACORN’s registering voters who tended to vote Democratic and whose votes could therefore be considered inimical to the Catholic Church’s anti-abortion, anti-birth control policies.

I did a little research. The embezzlement happened eight years ago and a donor made up the losses.

It is not uncommon for organizations to try to deal with such things privately, especially when family is involved and the organization’s finances can be made whole.

Not saying it’s right, but it’s not uncommon, and, I think, something that one can understand, even though one may not approve.

Frankly, I would not want to hang my brother out to dry, at least, not since I grew up (when I was nine years old, I might have thought differently).

(Damn, the way Karen’s been feeding me links, I’m going to have to put her on the payroll. ‘Cept I don’t got one. This blog is a relentless money-loser.)

From Paula Pounstone dot com:

PAULA ON NPR THIS MORNING

Paula’s has (sic) an excellent commentary on NPR today.
It would be nice to get some web action for her…

Best way to do that is send this link (see below) to everyone you know…and ask them to sign up to comment and if they like the piece to press ‘recommend’.

Here it is — send away.
She’s leading the NPR opinion page today:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96890409 or simply click here

Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,

Bonnie Burns, Personal Manager

I heard the commentary. It was pretty good. Not excellent, but pretty good.

There’re reasons I support the SPLC.

John Cole at Balloon Juice.

Some great pictures over here. Phillybits told me about them tonight. They live up to his billing.

Off to drink liberally.

Addendum:

Quite a nice little victory celebration.

’bout time.

Now, where’s my handout?

In honor of my father and my son.

And all the rest.

From the Booman.

It would make me want to drink liberally.

Which I plan to do tomorrow, Tangier Restaurant, 18th and Lombard, Philadelphia, Pa. 6 p.

Join the fun.

Marketwatch:

On Friday, the government will report on retail sales for October. Given the credit squeeze, as well as exhaustion and despondence among consumers, bad news is expected.

Analysts see a fourth consecutive month of falling retail sales. A fourth drop would be the first time there has been such an extended decline since 1974.

For September, the Commerce Department reported that U.S. retail sales fell 1.2%, with weak results in almost all kinds of stores. For October, economists surveyed by MarketWatch are looking for a drop of 2% — the biggest decline since 2001.

There is considerable pessimism at CIBC World Markets, where analysts are looking for a 2.5% decline.

As I pointed out a long time ago, it’s the Bushie Midas touch.