From our friend Jason, this morning: Maryland to Tax Computer Services. 6% on consulting and custom code, effective January 1. What does this mean for me? Less work, I suppose. I’m not happy about this.

Ward Sutton takes on the deisgn of campaign logos in the New York Times. (via)

Cricket legend seized in Pakistan. Listen to this NPR interview with Imran Khan from Monday—it’s the most damning description of our country’s misguided foreign policy I’ve heard in a long time. The more the US meddles with foreign countries, the more destabilized they become.

Ha, ha. Karma is a bitch, boys. A Washington publisher is being sued by several conservative authors over book royalties. The plaintiffs include the Swift Boat asshats and several others. Favorite quotes: “It suddenly occurred to us that [the publisher] Regnery is making collectively jillions of dollars off of us and paying us a pittance.” He added: “Why is Regnery acting like a Marxist cartoon of a capitalist company?”
Um, no, dude. They’re just acting like a capitalist company. See how that feels? That’s called “Middle Class America”.

The father of a dead Marine is suing the crackpot who uses funerals to further his anti-homosexual agenda. While my heart absolutely breaks for the families of the dead soldiers, my head brings up the first-amendment argument and tries to find a peaceful, legal solution. What I’d like to see is a crowd of veteran supporters and military families surrounding and shielding the funeral proceedings, insulating the mourners from this asshat’s self-serving ranting.
Update: HA!

Wow, check this riveting short film by Alfonso Cuaron in response to a new book by Naomi Klein: The Shock Doctrine. Her publishers asked for a blurb and he made a film—art at work for social change. My respect for Cuaron just keeps rising. I’m going to hit the library up for a copy and read it as soon as I can. Also, John Frickin’ Cusack is producing a movie inspired by the book, called War, Inc. Here’s a link to an interview he conducted with her about the book and a trailer for the movie (Warning: Huffington Post link).
Related: I’m starting an illustration series on her essay 10 steps to Facism, something I find eerily prescient these days.

I don’t know what’s funnier about this story, really. From everything I’ve read, Petraeus is a straight shooter who will tell the truth about Iraq, so I’m not surprised our lousy government is trying to keep any bad news covered up. But it still makes me mad that they’re trying to spin this thing like their half-baked war is a success.

This made the rounds a week or two ago: a Google map hack of DC/Baltimore homicides. 2007, 2006, and 2005. Sobering.

If you have the time, read (or watch the Tivo) this 60 Minutes article about the whistleblower of Abu Ghraib. The logic of those who brand him a “traitor” is mind-boggling; they claim he “put our troops in harm’s way”. What about Donald Rumsfeld, who publicly identified the whistleblower on live television? Doesn’t that qualify as “putting troops in harm’s way?” People should be celebrating this man (Darby), not castigating him. This country is pretty fucked up.