SAR #12136

We are a people in need of moral giants but served, alas, by what we have deserved.  Jesse

All Sizzle, No Steak? GM, one of the world's biggest advertisers, is pulling advertising from Facebook "because the ads don't work." This is not the first time that Facebook's advertising - the income that might justify the stock's price tag - has been questioned. GM's skepticism about Facebook is not due to a skepticism about digital advertising overall. GM spends about $300 million a year on digital brand advertising--just not on Facebook.

Run For The Border: Since the May 6 election, Greeks have pulled over €700 million from the nation's banks. Much more of this and the weakened Greek banking system will collapse, which in turn may be the beginning of the end of this melodrama.

Rhetorical Question: “Did the White House Direct the Police Crackdown on Occupy?” What part of Homeland Security are you unclear on?

They're Fracked: Natural gas prices are down over 60% in the last year, which has seriously eroded the book value of reserves - by half or more. And higher-priced contracts are expiring and being replaced with far less lucrative ones. So the industry's asset value, cash flow and profitability are plummeting. Easy come, easy go.

Whistling In The Wind: Senator Al Franken wants the DOJ to tell him - and us - how often it and it's state level counterparts gather data from wireless companies without bothering to get warrants. This being a senator thing is going to Al's head.

Home Grown Austerity: The US may not be running a budget surplus, but the deficit is getting smaller – that's less spending. And Federal, state and local governments have cut workers – that's less spending. Over 400,000 long-term unemployed persons have already lost their unemployment benefits, on the way to kicking everyone – millions – off long term benefits. And that's less spending. Adds up to austerity.

The Christian Thing To Do: Beaverton Grace Bible Church is suing a woman for $500,000 for giving the church a bad review on Google. The other cheek was busy.

Buckle Up: John Boehner promises he will use the upcoming debt limit increase legislation as a forum to blather on about budget cuts and government reforms (but not tax increases) as preconditions to any debt limit increase. He's looking forward to a series of stop-gap measures so he can draw out the process as long as possible. But that's all conditioned on Obama winning. If Romney wins, deficits will no longer matter.

Party On: In Colorado, two parent chaperons at a high school prom called the teens "sluts and whores" and sprayed them with Lysol. Strange that they just happened to have Lysol with them.

Just Sayin': Harry Reed and the Dems are agonizing, again, over the pros and cons of reforming the filibuster rules. They are tired of the Republicans using the threat of a filibuster to get their way and to bloc legislation that the majority of Americans want. But they worry what will happen if they change the rule and the GOP takes over the Senate nest year. What will happen is obvious: The Republicans will have absolutely no qualms about abolishing filibusters, for they certainly don't want the Dems to do them what they've been doing to the Democrats in recent years.

Better Luck Next Time: Texas acknowledges that it executed the wrong man for a 1983 homicide. If they find the right man, they plan on executing him, too.

I'm With Chuck: Asked about the use of drones within the US, Charles Krauthammer, clutching his brand new ACLU membership card,  said "I’m going  ACLU. I don’t want regulations, I don’t want restrictions, I want a ban... Drones are instruments of war... the first guy who uses a Second Amendment weapon to bring a drone down that’s been hovering over his house is going to be a folk hero in this country.”

Porn O'Graph: Up up and away!