2000 “criminals” exonerated in 23 years, including many who faced execution or very long terms of imprisonment.

  Just checkout this story, if you would. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_WRONGLY_CONVICTED_CRIMINALS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-05-21-00-10-51 Shocking. OK, let’s be glad these people were freed, but one has to ask. How many more? How many more are killed or incarcerated when they’ve done nothing wrong? The American legal system is a disgrace. Yes, the same is true in many other jurisdictions, including [...]

Short and sweet – well done, President Obama. Finally. Now if only someone over here could show some leadership, too.

Now President Obama has publicly voiced his support for Marriage Equality for gay people – and good on him, too – let’s hope his much less impressive Australian counterpart can show the same guts. This means you, Ms Gillard. Sadly, once again, the lamentably poor Ms Gillard seems determined to convince us she has zero [...]

The Lazy Way of Doing A Blog Roll

  I am far too lazy to tweak my layout to fit in a blog roll, so I thought I’d reproduce – without asking permission, but that’s what lazy people do – my friend Val’s, who has some wonderful sites on her list. And not just because she’s kind enough to be nice about Well [...]

On Snooki, Chelsea, The Borgias, & Big Tits

AS SEASON TWO OF THE BORGIAS IS ABOUT TO HIT OUR SCREENS, I THOUGHT I WOULD REPUBLISH MY MOST POPULAR ARTICLE EVER. ENJOY. Last night, relentlessly sleepless after a rather large piece of rib-eye steak that wasn’t, for once, washed down with a couple of bottles of good Shiraz (hence still being wide awake, I [...]

The Secret Serviceman and the Prostitute – what’s the real scandal?

Does anyone else think the ” scandal” of numerous members of President Obama’s Secret Service detail employing prostitutes while on an away trip to Colombia is really rather silly, and painfully revealing of the double standards in Western society? After all, in many countries prostitution has now been de-criminalised at least, and often made entirely [...]

Over-regulated America: long overdue a change

  I often argue with my American friends that their country shows just as many signs of being a nanny state as anywhere else, and that they should push back. But with forelock-tugging regularity they refuse to believe me. Well now this excellent article from the Economist says I’m right – following research, would you [...]

British member of Parliament announces bounty on Obama and George Bush.

It is alleged that British Lord Nazir Ahmed put a £10 million (US$16 million) bounty on both President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush Friday, according to The Express Tribune, an English language Pakistani newspaper. Nazir, who is of Pakistani heritage and a controversial Labour Party member of the British House of Lords, (he [...]

What the f*** has Obama done so far?

Brilliant website, and long overdue. Whatever your political point of view, if you value a reasoned debate running up to November, I urge you to have a look. http://whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/ I am not uncritical of Obama – by no means – I think his recent signing of a bill to restrict the right to demonstrate was [...]

No, Rush Limbaugh, you don’t get to call a woman arguing for birth control to be covered by health insurance SHE pays for a “slut” and a “prostitute”

While I see that yet more firms have pulled their spots from that dreadful man Limbaugh, nevertheless, they will be replaced by those who seek sales to his red-kneck audience and don’t care about the editorial content of his dreadful show. So I have a great idea – why don’t the ordinary people, the ones [...]

Care about American freedom? If you do, read this article.

I don’t often simply reproduce other people’s work, but I think this story from CutDC.com is not only well-written but it raises vital questions about freedom in America. We need to remember that freedom is rarely lost in dramatic moments, but in innumerable little restrictions on freedom to organise, free assembly, free speech, and freedom [...]

Radical American Muslims are not terribly prevalent. Or competent, for that matter. And nor is the burka. So what?

Regular readers will know I am pretty much against generalisations – “all generalisations are false” being one of my favourite aphorisms -  other than those that are supportable by the obvious empirical evidence, such as “The Republican Party have selected a bunch of vicious right wingers and idiots for people to choose from in 2012 [...]

You know it, I know it … time we all said it

I get so irritated with the smug, self-satisfied, careless commentary I see on this so-called News channel. And for Fox News, you could read the entire current field of Republican Party Presidential candidates, and a whole heap of commentators who should know better, too, who have all replaced incisive analysis and creative ideas with thoughtless [...]

Harvard says: 45,000 deaths a year in the US because of lack of health insurance

As the follow Reuters report shows, the Obama scheme to provide a wider range of healthcare options for Americans is desperately needed. http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/09/17/us-usa-healthcare-deaths-idUSTRE58G6W520090917 Let us hope the White House is watching, and serves this report up to the Republicans long, loud and often during the coming election. After all, Harvard is about as good as [...]