Clearly, the Bush administration's policy has been 'if we don't like what you're saying then we'll shut you up!'- whether it be protestors, scientists, or anyone else who might disagree with them. So yes, this is their idea of freedom, democracy... blah, blah, blah.

Climate Expert Says NASA Tried To Silence Him

In one call, George Deutsch, a recently appointed public affairs officer at NASA headquarters, rejected a request from a producer at National Public Radio to interview Dr. Hansen, said Leslie McCarthy, a public affairs officer responsible for the Goddard Institute.

Citing handwritten notes taken during the conversation, Ms. McCarthy said Mr. Deutsch called N.P.R. "the most liberal" media outlet in the country. She said that in that call and others, Mr. Deutsch said his job was "to make the president look good" and that as a White House appointee that might be Mr. Deutsch's priority.

But she added: "I'm a career civil servant and Jim Hansen is a scientist. That's not our job. That's not our mission. The inference was that Hansen was disloyal."

Ewe.

If you missed this one like I did, here's a pretty funny SNL spoof on Nagin, Jesse Jackson and Hillary Clinton

In case you didn't know, it seems the earth is getting warmer. Scientists at NASA have calculated 2005 to be the warmest year since [they started recording it in] the 1890's, not that the people in New Orleans would doubt that after Katrina and Rita and all the other hurricanes that were swirling around. And while some argue that its normal for the earth to get warmer, many scientists believe that the warming is caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels which gives off greenhouse gases. Like this guy:

"There has been a strong warming trend over the past 30 years, a trend that has been shown to be due primarily to increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," Hansen said.

Now of course he could be wrong, but I prefer to believe the scientists over...let's say...Rush Limbaugh and most of the republicans in office who have many friends as well as investments in the oil business. By changing the regulations of the EPA to allow for more pollutants in the atmosphere (the Clear Sky Act if you can believe that name), the republicans are not only ignoring science (as usual) but also the possible catastrophic fate which can unfold if the warming trend continues. We've seen the hurricanes this year become more abundant and more intense. The oceans are rising and Louisiana's coast line is falling. A change to a cleaner fuel source could not only help stop the warming trend but it would also rid us of our dependence on oil from terrorist-friendly countries.

And sure, Louisiana would lose a lot of oil money if we were no longer dependent on fossil fuels, but if we brought the science and technology of renewable sources of energy here, couldn't that be our new industry? Now if we can figure out just how to go about doing all that.
Louisiana isn't exactly known for its innovation or initiative so I'm thinking its all a little far fetched but I can dream.

I don't know if anyone else would be as wow-ed by this, but Senator Kerry had posted a diary at DailyKos Friday. Of course this one of the best political blogs out there, but its amazing to think that one guy's blog has gotten so big as to have senators and presidential candidates chiming in right along side Joe Shmoe.

Chris Rose's latest gem.

Get a load of this:

Loophole in Lobbying Bill Leaves Wiggle Room

Lawmakers are about to bombard the American public with proposals that would crack down on lobbyists. Several prominent plans, including one outlined yesterday by House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), would specifically ban meals and privately paid travel for lawmakers.

Or would they?

According to lobbyists and ethics experts, even if Hastert's proposal is enacted, members of Congress and their staffs could still travel the world on an interest group's expense and eat steak on a lobbyist's account at the priciest restaurants in Washington.

The only requirement would be that whenever a lobbyist pays the bill, he or she must also hand the lawmaker a campaign contribution. Then the transaction would be perfectly okay.

So in other words, not only can they get bribed with expensive meals and free vacations, with this bill they can do it legally and while making an extra 20 bucks! I think they call it the Campaign Finance Reform Bill. And its a true title. Like the Clear Sky Act and how its meant to clear the sky... of all the birds.

Mayor Nagin has finally lost his mind:

"It's time for us to rebuild a New Orleans, the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans. And I don't care what people are saying uptown or wherever they are. This city will be chocolate at the end of the day," Nagin told the crowd.

The mayor went on to call for a majority African American city, just as before Katrina.

"This city will be a majority African American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn't be New Orleans."

Nagin later elaborated on his comment when questioned by reporters. "I'm asking you, do you know anything about chocolate? How do you make chocolate? You take dark chocolate, you mix it with white milk, and it becomes a delicious drink," Nagin said.

Is he trying to lose his job? Many people in New Orleans are disturbed by this- white and black. He can try to cover his tracks all he wants but this city has a history of racism on both sides. This is not the time for divisive comments. If you look at the people in political power in New Orleans you will notice they are overwhelmingly black. Some have a tendency to fire the white skinned people. If people are staying away because they are racists, then I don't think that hurts New Orleans as much as he thinks. He shouldn't care what color New Orleans turns out to be, as long as its full of people who cared enough to come back and rebuild.

Oh and then there's this:

''Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country.''

Surely huh? He's sounding a more little like Pat Robertson than I would ever be comfortable with. Maybe the stress of the hurricane aftermath, the rebuilding and his upcoming run for re-election has finally caused him to lose it completely. What a dumbass.

Update: Here's the video.

Cool! They're making pigs in green now!

A transgenic green pig jostles normal pigs Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006, in Taipei, Taiwan. A research team at Taiwan's leading National Taiwan University succeeded in breeding three male green pigs by injecting fluorescent green protein into embryonic pigs.

I don't want to think about what the bacon looks like.