SAR #13183

Most of us are not looking for the truth,  just a more comfortable lie.

Hell No, I Won't Go: Responding to the Egyptian military's 48-hour ultimatum, President Morsi said he would not resign nor meet with the oppostion nor acceed to any of their demands unless the United States tells him he has to.

Ah, Napalm in the Morning: The Intitute for Supply Management reports that US factory output and new orders both rose in June, while employment continued to fall, reaching its lowest in four years. The markets were up.

As The World Turns: The latest numbers, it says here, confirm that the Eurozone is recovering, led by French industrial output - which is still contracting, but not by so much – and Italy, which showed a production increase for the first time in two years. Oh, sure, you could point to the unemployment rate – at 12.1% a new Eurozone high – or the fact that Germany's production declined, but hey, you can't win 'em all. Besides, Croatia has now joined the EU!

Now It Can Be Told: The US intelligence conglomerate is out of control, and quite possibly no longer controllable.

Multiple Choice: Which is more dangerous to what's left of democracy in America, NSA or the Koch brothers?  ‘Both of the above' is an allowable response.

A Day In The Life: While the world's richest fight to keep their ill-gotten gains hidden in Switzerland, the EU reports that at least some of that ill-gottenness involved less than actual competition in Credit Default Swaps, European oil benchmarks turned out to be 'set' the same way LIBOR and gold prices are, and your friends at Citi had to pay Fanny nearly a billion dollars for mischaracterizing certain mortgages. It's tough being filthy rich, nobody appreciates how much manipulation it requires.

Wastin' Time: 29 Republican congresscritters, tired of voting to repeal Obamacare over and over, have decided to waste the House's time on a useless constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage in these United States. Popsicles in hell have a better chance.

The Midas Touch: When the frackers give you a contract to sign so they (and you) can reap untold profits from the good earth, read the fine print. Especially the part that lets the frackers bill you for “post-production costs” running in the thousands of dollars. They stole the wording from the movie business.

5o1(c)(4): Should a group that spent $65,000 printing and sending out a mailer against a candidate running for congress be considered a tax-exempt social action organization? Or should the IRS look a little more closely at the group's application that claimed they did not spend any money on political activities, neither directly nor indirectly. Does the answer depend on which political party their target belonged to?

The Parting Shot:

Moth Mullein, Verbascum blattaria.