John Pistole, the TSA Administrator, spoke to reporters on a conference call late yesterday, and confirmed that in general, no changes to airport security procedures have been instituted since the outcry over the Rapiscan full-body scanning machine and the aggressive pat-downs. He did say, however, that some of the complaints he’s heard about the pat-downs in the media describe practices that would fall outside the guidelines given by TSA, and that passengers who filed complaints could have cases to make against TSA screeners if they engaged in practices that conflicted with standard operating protocols.

Maybe someone should do something.

For Ruth Marcus mass transportation is no more invasive than getting checked for cancer, so stop whining and spread ‘em.

Sonny Boy Williamson — Nine Below Zero, accompanied by Otis Spann.

Pope Benedict XVI just had a sexy new revelation from his God: Condoms are allowed during sex to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. Of course, it’s still a sin to use them as birth control, but it’s a greater sin to pass HIV/AIDS.

The right is winning the War On Christmas… but which side of it are they on?

Someone has the TSA by the short hairs. . . .

Sign the petition to investigate the TSA • Download our “Know Your Rights with TSA” flier before you fly

Velma Hart spoke to President Obama in September at a town hall meeting, and pronounced herself “exhausted with defending” the President and his policies. At the time, Hart was a chief financial officer for AmVets, a nonprofit veterans service organization. Now she’s out of work. AmVets laid her off yesterday in a cost-cutting measure.

Administration officials are trying to make us forget that President Obama promised to start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in July 2011, but that might not be so easy: Stan Greenberg suggests that continued escalation is likely to draw a primary challenge.

According to revised statistics, the US economy grew at a faster rate than first expected, up to 2.5%. Earlier growth in Q3 2010 was estimated at 2%. But there’s a problem here: despite record unemployment, and no hope for reductions clearly in sight, corporations have experienced all-time record profits, the highest since the Commerce Department started tracking the figure 60 years ago. They’ve learned to produce as many or more goods without workers.