Thou shalt not be negative

The NYT says that Dick Cheney proposed a gas tax on his own in 1986 that if in effect now would be costing more than the plan they’re falsely claiming Kerry had. Cheney: “Let us rid ourselves of the fiction that low oil prices are somehow good for the United States.”

2/3 of companies operating in the US paid no corporate income taxes 1996-2000.

The California Supreme Court upholds treating a fetus as a separate entity under the state’s version of the thing just passed federally. The court says “There is no requirement the defendant specifically know of the existence of each victim,” which is ridiculous as a legal principle, and throws around the phrase “disregard for life” a lot, which rather misses the point. I mean in this case the guy beat and then shot his girlfriend. That’s not disregard, which is defined as “paying no attention to”; the guy was paying a great deal of rather specific attention to taking his girlfriend’s life.

Preview of the 9/11 Commission report (which we now know the Bushies intend to look over very very carefully before releasing it oh say a month after the elections.

AN ARMED SOCIETY IS A POLITE SOCIETY: The Israeli police commissioner has called on Jews to carry guns for Passover. Also matzoh.

The British Methodist church held a contest to find an 11th Commandment. “Thou shalt not be negative,” the idiots chose as the winner. Runners-up: Thou shalt not consume thine own bodyweight in fudge; Thou shalt not dump your lover by text; Thou shalt not dance like your dad; Thou shalt not hold loud conversations on thy mobile phone in a public place.

With all the bitching about illegal aliens getting driver’s licenses in California, guess who supports a bill to do the same in Florida? Jeb Bush.

Robert Fisk says the US has moved Saddam Hussein (remember him?) to Qatar. Actually, he may not have been in Iraq since December. This is why the US gave him POW status; otherwise it would have been illegal to remove him from Iraq. They didn’t bother telling the royal family of Qatar.

China declares that it has the right of veto over changes in Hong Kong’s governance, such as directly electing the chief executive, as democracy activists are demanding. Under the handover agreement, China has no such veto.

The US ambassador to Pakistan threatened that if they didn’t hunt down Taliban & Al Qaida types, the US would send in troops.