The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters
Detective Dave Robicheaux is trying to link the murder of a local hooker to New Orleans mobster Julie Balboni. But during his investigation Robicheaux is led into a series of surreal encounters with a troop of Confederate soldiers.
Read moreChoose your poison. I don’t know the final best answer to the healthcare crisis in this country, but I know it’s a mess, and it has to be fixed. I know one thing that is an absolute certainty. This problem will never be solved until the insurance companies and their influence are removed completely from the process.
Read moreWhen a sudden plague of blindness devastates a city, a small group of the afflicted band together to triumphantly overcome the horrific conditions of their imposed quarantine.
Read moreThe story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. I know I’ll be taken to the wood shed by some, so let me get this over with right away. I don’t think it was the best picture of the year.
Read moreThe Youtube clip includes a statement from Senator Leahy about his proposal to have a commission look into the possible crimes of the Bush Administration. It continues with a statement by Senator Whitehouse. Whitehouse, as a member of both the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees is in a position to have some idea of what has gone on in regards to our torture and rendition activities. In light of a stern and direct warning that when the details of what Amerikkah did under the Bush Administration comes out, it’s not going to be pretty, I am set back on my heels.
Read moreFrom the, “it would be funny if it weren’t so sad” category, we have the Christian Anti-Defamation League listing their top 10 examples of Christians being “bashed” in 2008. It includes things like Obama defaming Christianity by claiming to be Christian. Give the video below a watch.
Read moreIsrael has plans to demolish Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem to make way for a tourist site. Activists say it’s a demographic play that amounts to ethnic cleansing.
Read moreChuck Schumer is calling bullshit on these Republican Governors who are grandstanding on the stimulus bill. According to Talking Points Memo Schumer has written a letter to the White House saying the stimulus bill does not include any provision allowing Governors to pick and choose which parts of the stimulus money they want to take. Schumer is telling the Administration to tell the governors that it’s all-or-nothing.
Read moreThe Supreme Court has declined to take up the case of a Kentucky High School student who wants to sue the school district for barring him from expressing opposition to homosexuality. Morrison, a senior at Boyd County High School, sued the Boyd County school district over a policy that required students to undergo anti-harassment training. He claimed the policy threatened him with punishment for expressing religious beliefs in opposition to homosexuality.
Read moreThe San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that a Federal Judge is questioning the constitutionality of the law designed to give the telecommunications companies blanket immunity for their illegal wiretaps. Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker has asked President Obama’s Justice Department to present its views by Wednesday on whether the law gives the attorney general too much power to decide whether a company is immune from lawsuits.
Read moreYou might remember the story of the Atlanta Police Departments execution of 92 year-old Kathryn Johnston a couple of years ago. Three of the detectives involved in the killing and subsequent cover-up are now in court for sentencing. The account in the Atlanta Journal Constitution refers to the three as “tearful” as they stood before the judge.
Read more