SAR #14125

“Democracies don’t end well." Rob Schneider

Slip Sliding Away: Ukraine's control of the eastern half of the country is not-so-slowly dissolving, even as CIA and FBI agents arrive on the scene to 'advise' the Ukrainian government. Putin (who was, phone intercepts show, directly involved in the taking of the European Hostages earlier last week) has pointedly refused to rule out a Russian military response to the deaths of 'dozens' of ethnic Russian separatists who were burned alive in Odessa.

No Comment: China has outlawed the eating of tiger penises.

Fraud? The US has thrown an uncountable amount of money into an endless pit called the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - the invisible stealth fighter for the 21st century. Estimates run from Lockheed's $116 million each, without engines, to $252.3 million each, with engines and R&D costs included. The only problem is that the F-35A is not invisible. Both Russian and Chinese radars are quite capable of detecting the aircraft, which should make the whole thing moot. 
 
That's Our Girl: "The truth is Jesus fought for the death penalty until the day he died." Sarah Palin, not.

On Unemployment: Between the very weak GDP report (a 0.1% annual rate in the first quarter) and the schizophrenic reports on unemployment/unemployment, it seems obvious that the recovery is in need of recovery. The labor market is either good, with 288,000 new jobs added, or awful, with 806,000 leaving the labor pool last month. The Labor Force Participation Rate has fallen to an all time low and the number of workers who have wandered off and are no longer counted as workers has reached an all time high. Maybe it's time to invest in some enthusiastic infrastructure investment. 
 
Porn O'Graph: You better hope X doesn't mark your spot.

The Parting Shot: