SAR #13085

Someone has to keep rolling the stone up the hill.

All Your Money Is Belong Us: Laiki Bank UK sent its UK depositors the following "Your eligible deposits... are protected up to a total of 100,000 euro.”  Then in the small print: You no longer have any deposits over 100,000 euro “Any deposits over 100,000 euro are not covered.”

A Great Country: Some Democrats in the House have proposed funding the federal school lunch program to cover weekends and holidays. It is a mark of their generosity and concern that they recognize that the need to provide food to many poor students doesn't stop over the weekend. It's a mark of the country's short-sightedness that a) such a bill is necessary and b) that it will probably not pass. That's okay – those much maligned and woefully underpaid unionized teachers who are funding such support out of their own pockets now will keep doing it. Right up to the point the schools become private profit chartered charades.

Revisionist History: The hunger strike that the administration says is not happening at Guantanamo has, according to the administration, grown to include 28 of the 168 captives remaining at the concentration camp. Ten are being force fed through tubes, a process widely thought to be despicable when done to geese.

Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! We know, even if we pretend not to, that our life styles are the root cause of global warming. We buy stuff made and shipped and marketed in ways that generate huge amounts of carbon dioxide and we do not pay the costs our purchases will eventually exact. Because of the great time lag and the cumulative nature of the eventual disaster, our individual roles are masked. But our responsibility should not be. If a carbon tax will help diminish our sins, we should welcome one.

Reality Therapy: NYC Mayor Bloomberg, acknowledging reality, says that within 5 years there will be "cameras everyplace... whether you like it or not... Get used to it!” Unfortunately, he is right.

Levy: Obama has promised to continue US conscience money payments to Israel through 2027 and to raise the tribute from today's $2.4 billion a year to $3.1 billion now and to bump it to $4 billion soon. Detroit, meanwhile, has been turned over to the wrecking crew.

Trailer: The Office of Congressional Ethics (sic) has begun an investigation into “intentional campaign finance violations” in connection with Michele Bachman's pathetic posturing in the Republican presidential primaries, based on a complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission by former Bachman adviser Peter Waldron. “There are no allegations that the congresswoman engaged in any wrongdoing.” Yet.

Truth Will Out: The head of Eurogroup, discussing the events in Cyprus, noted that the “Cyprus rescue is the model for the future.” He was misquoted. Or misspoke. Or it was taken out of context. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

Vox Populi: While 96% of the people in Utah support protecting public lands for the benefit of all the people, some significant part of Republican Governor Gary Herbert's own personal constituency wants the state to 'assume' ownership of some 30 million acres of federal lands and make them available for exploitation by private interests for private profit. What's the point of holding public office if you don't get to do a little looting?

Shane: One of the more popular myths of late concerns the return of manufacturing to the US because of the enormous drop in energy prices thanks to the nation's return to energy independence. No fracking way. One: Energy makes up less than 5% of most companies costs. Two: You've been systematically misled about the future of energy resources in the US.

Porn O'Graph: Where the green went.

The Parting Shot: