SAR 15275

He should remain faceless, nameless.

Accounting: The US has more guns per capita than any other nation. America has by far the largest percentage of its population in jail. The US has invaded more countries in the last 50 years than all other nations combined. Congress spends more money on the military than anyone else, by far. Cops in the US kill a couple of citizens every day. And today's dead student headcount was 15 dead, 20 wounded. Not a bad day, record wise, but not enough to win the coveted NRA cup.

Punt: Republicans in Congress have agreed not to shut down the government until December, by which time the far right, anti-government crowd hopes to have taken over the House.

All Together Now: Saudi Arabia has used its new postion on the UN human rights council to squash a Human Rights investigation of Saudi violations of human rights for killing civilians in Yemen. The Saudis also imposed their religion on the Council, demanding that LGBT rights be ignored because it runs counter to its Koranic persecution (and execution) of its own LGBT citizens.

Motivation: “I think the left wants slow growth because that means people are more dependent upon government.” Jeb Bush

Wait And See: The EPA has finalized a rule that would require that all coal-fired power plants clean up most of the toxic waste they poison America's rivers and stream with on a daily basis. Jeb Caramba! Bush wants to prevent regulations like this from cutting into electric companies' profits just to improve Americans' health.

Encoded Message: The Cameron government has said that while the UK will not pay slavery reparations to Jamaica, it would give them £25m to build a new prison to hold escaped slaves.

Say / Do: In his speech at the UN, President Obama warned the assembled leaders that they should not fall back into the pre-United Nations “belief that power is a zero-sum game; that might makes right; that strong states must impose their will on weaker ones; that the rights of individuals don’t matter; and that in a time of rapid change, order must be imposed by force.” With a straight face.

Live and Let Die: A year's supply of the cancer drug Gleevec costs $159 to manufacture and $106,000 to buy in the US. In Brazil you can get a year's supply for $8,000.

The Voting's Wrong Act: In Alabama a voter must produce a state-issued photo ID in order to vote. A driver's license or state ID issued by the DMV is the preferred documentation. It is unfortunate that Alabama's budget crisis has forced it to stop issuing driver's licenses and identification cards in those counties where 75% of the voters are not white.

Eat Your Veggies: A meta-analysis of 68 randomized trials of various antioxidant supplements showed that taking the supplements increased your risk of death by 5%.

Grab & Run: In most jurisdictions in the United States the police can confiscate your car, your house, your money without a warrant, without an indictment, with nothing more than a claimed suspicion that you are a criminal. Sure, you can go to court and try to get it back. Lots of luck.

Porn O'Graph: The downside.