NVinNYC

If you like comic book movies here’s the latest and greatest eye candy: a trailer for Thor!

Bradley Manning, the 22-year-old U.S. Army Private accused of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, has never been convicted of that crime, nor of any other crime. Despite that, he has been detained [for seven months] under conditions that constitute cruel and inhumane treatment and, by the standards of many nations, even torture.

This is a must-read article, and a disturbing look at how the United States is turning its back on The Constitution, justice, and the experiences and promises of our own leaders.

Wil Shipley has a scathing fake interview with TSA Chairman John Pistole. It’s funny and upsetting all at once.

Paul Krugman has a crackerjack op-ed piece in the NYT titled There Will Be Blood. It’s a quick read but here’s the kicker:

The fact is that one of our two great political parties has made it clear that it has no interest in making America governable, unless it’s doing the governing. And that party now controls one house of Congress, which means that the country will not, in fact, be governable without that party’s cooperation — cooperation that won’t be forthcoming.

The whole strategy of ‘no governance but our governance’ (which I’m coining now as NGBOG) is so antithetical to democratic principles it’s unbelievable that it’s become the status quo of the Republican party. However, the GOP has been doing precisely this for a long time, particularly in the last two years since Obama was elected. It’s just that now that they control the House they can really run with NGBOG.

(Link via DF.)

I’ve read two great articles on the intertwined political and financial wasteland of America recently. They’re definitely worth passing along.

First, Nicholas D. Kristof writes in the NYT Op-Ed questioning if tax cuts for the rich have created our own Banana Republic where “the richest 1% of Americans now take home almost 24 percent of income.” In our Banana Republic, where the recently elected Republican majority in the House has made it a top priority to give this richest Americans more tax cuts, is such extreme income disparity is really good for the economy?

Second is a longer article from a German magazine examining the end (?) of the American dream.  This was written before the recent elections but does a great job examining both the international and national problems that America is facing as a result of the recession and political culture of self-interest and inaction.  How can we still belive in the upward mobility that made America great when, “in 1978, the average income for men in the United States was $45,879 [while] in 2007, it was $45,113, adjusted for inflation?”

Thanks to DF and JDD for the links.