National

From the Huffington Post:

One of the most-photographed heroes of the Boston Marathon has been Carlos Arredondo, 52, who most famously pictured helping a man in a wheelchair who has lost part of his leg in the explosion. In other videos and images, he's seen running toward the blast and pulling away debris to help those who were hurt. But as Christina Costantini points out for Univision, Arredondo -- the father of a Marine who lost his life in Iraq in 2004 -- originally came to the United States as an undocumented immigrant. According to a 2005 story in the Washington Post, Arredondo was born in Costa Rica and came to the United States without authorization when he was 19. In 2004, his son, Alex, died while serving in the Iraq War.

He gave America his son. Literally. He helped save many American lives yesterday. He is an American, by virtue and sacrifice if not legally. Perhaps our Congress, and one political party in particular, can see way to end their bigotry, obstruction, and demonization and see fit to make this man a documented citizen. Look at this video, and how violently he is shaking and trembling... God bless you Carlos.

Apparently on Dan Gaffney's show on 105.9 FM downstate, insane teabagger Don Ayotte, who had tried to unseat Sussex County Councilwoman Joan Deaver in the 2012 election, and who has recently been involved in the Great Delaware Republican Civil War, has just announced that he is leaving the GOP and has joined the Independent Party of Delaware (IPOD). The reason for his leaving: that mean mean Frank Knotts. I wonder how Ayotte is going to enjoy IPOD's prior platform that called for universal single payer healthare?

They couldn't stop the spewing, and it is a criminal clusterfuck of historic proportions, but at least Exxon has been able to lock down the press coverage with stalinesque efficiency.

Steve Newton nails it.

The News Journal's editorial page: distorting the facts for political gain

If one's only source of information regarding the disagreement between the Christina School District and the Delaware Department of Education were the News Journal editorial page, one might be excused for drawing the conclusion that Christina school board's vote a rejection of reality

but in fact...

Portraying the CSD School Board as not wanting great teachers, as reneging on prior agreements, as being untrustworthy partners with the State, and as being lone wolf crazies flying in the fact of all Delaware education reform is--to put it bluntly--editorial prostitution that defies the facts of the whole case.

It is as if our Founding Fathers were high when they wrote this:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

It is as if Yoda was a Founding Father, and if he was that would be awesome, but we are still left with awkward backward sentences. In my mind, when I read the second amendment, it looks and sounds like two sentences got smashed together in a head on collision: "A well regulated Militia is necessary to the security of a free State" and "The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed." The two sentences are mutually exclusive. The latter sentence establishes an absolute right to bear arms without any interference from Congress, including, presumably as to what constitutes "Arms," since that term is not defined. So, if you look at only that sentence, as most gun nuts and the NRA does, you believe you have an absolute right to own a nuclear missle launcher, a bazooka, a tank, and 100 AR-15s. Meanwhile, the former sentence says a regulated milita (militia at the time being a group of community citizens with guns) is necessary to the security of the free state. To me, that sentence as two interpretations: 1) the defense of a free state requires a well regulated militia, thus the state is responsible for establishing and regulating a militia, and 2) militias, or community citizens with guns, need to be regulated by the state to ensure the security of a free state, otherwise it is an OK Corral out there and no one is secure or safe. Either interpretation of the former sentence requires state regulation of the right to own guns. Which is wholly incompatable with the latter sentence guaranteeing a uninfringed and absolute right to bear arms. And yet Yoda and the Founding Fathers smashed those two sentences together anyway. I think there is a consensus in this country on guns, however, despite the rhetoric on the fringes where on one side there is an absolute right to bear arms and on the other where all guns should be banned.

...or congressional lack of intelligence leads to intelligence failure. Either way, there is no way around that fact that we are our own worst enemy. By John Bailey and Jeff…

John Atkins shared a link. 2 hours ago Im not a big conspiracy guy, but after doing some research, reading, and critical thinking on my own, Im not sure we ever went. Whats your thoughts?

And from the resulting comment thread...

Rick, once its launched it simply could have orbitted around the earth out of view of the naked eye? Ever watch "astronauts gone wild"? A guy simply asks every man that walked on the moon to place his hand on the bible to confirm it. Not one would do it......why not? 2 hours ago

I've never heard of "astronauts gone wild" - but I'm 100% sure it is complete nonsense that only a person with diminished mental capacity could give any credence to.