Harman’s husband’s role in outsourcing intelligence was a conflict of interest when Jane Harman chaired the House Intelligence Committee (and she still chairs the Intelligence Subcommittee at the Committee on Homeland Security). But seeing as how we’ve got DiFi, another spouse of a big MIC contractor, currently running the Senate Intelligence Committee, I guess we should just write that off as par for the course, huh?

On a conference call, CEOs Eric Schmidt of Google and Ivan Seidelberg of Verizon both announced the policy agreement. While both of them criticized the New York Times story from last week and other reports about the two corporations backing down from a commitment to net neutrality (“almost all of which has been completely wrong,” Schmidt said, and asked reporters that they base their criticism “on what is actually announced today”), what they produced doesn’t necessarily conflict with the story.

There have been a record amount of deportations under President Obama. Democrats across the board have sought to prove their “toughness” by taking it out on vulnerable members of society.

But that apparently has its limits. The President is not targeting undocumented students, an outcome which could lead to a more humane policy in this area.

Last week, Mexico’s President Calderone called on President Obama to join the debate on legalizing marijuana. The US drug policy has lined the pockets of the drug cartels with billions of dollars, and they are threatening to destabilize not only Mexico but countries across Latin America.

Please show your support and sign the petition asking President Obama to end the war on marijuana.

Public workers have the small amount of leverage they have because they can collectively bargain. Other industries that have no such protections are getting screwed on a daily basis – but right-wing ideologues who want to extend that leverage for management across all businesses blame the greedy union bosses because they don’t want to see actual retirement security spread to the masses.

Thanks to a worldview that says, essentially, protect the banks, and let nature take its course, we have banks making record profits during this major economic recession — nature has been cruel to everyone without a Wall Street address. And the Robert Rubins of the world don’t have the imagination, or the desire, to think of what to do in that situation.

One of the first results of the Citizens United ruling is the creation of the business-funded group MN Forward, the allegedly “bipartisan” outfit whose actual political leanings may be divined by the following evidence: Its head honcho is Brian McClung, who less than two months ago was the deputy chief of staff Tim Pawlenty; and its first TV ads have been for Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, who is essentially Pawlenty without the mullet and even less humanity.

But a funny thing happened on the way to buying yet another corporate-friendly Republican governor. A couple of funny things, actually.

A brief look at what’s happening in the news on the morning of August 9th, 2010.

Imagine how the GOP heads would explode if someone wanted to re-write the Second Amendment — but any other Amendment is fine to tinker with.

Dana Lyons-Cows With Guns