Through what can only be described as a Christmas miracle, our very own Mary has “discovered” a new version of the Christmas Carol, as updated by the Obama/Bush Office of Legal Counsel. As Mary noted, “Those jokers at OLC. At least they enjoy their work”. Indeed. With “wise men” like John Yoo, Jay Bybee and Steve Bradbury, what could go wrong?

One of the favorite choices of the wingnuts for actual legislation has always been ‘tort reform’. It was their hue and cry to get out of making health care productive for most citizens, even though it is not an area subject to federal legislation.

In Texas where there has been extensive tort reform, conditions have been created that are ideal for incompetence and outright fraud. One area that has seen a true disaster is in emergency room care. Under conditions that may include extreme stress, mistakes can occur but the patient maimed for life cannot count on any compensation for those mistakes.

Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern signed the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010, legislation recognizing gay couples and allowing civil unions in the Irish Republic.

Lots of looking back and lots of looking forward.

Tom and Jerry in Mice Follies. This Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon was released on September 4, 1954. Grab your popcorn, put your feet up on the coffeetable, and try to keep the spitballs off the screen please. This is Late Late Night FireDogLake, where off topic is the topic … so dive in. What’s on your mind?

Because nothing says “Christmas” quite like shrubbery decorated so as to resemble a glowing electric penis.

Rossini’s – Duetto buffo di due gatti – as performed by Les Petits Chanteurs à La Croix de Bois the music and the choir both deserve to be better known.

So I’m looking for my DVD of It’s a Wonderful Life and for some reason I had all these Ghosts of Christmases Past flash by me. And then I remembered beautiful Yvonne and my skinny bare ass.

I hope all of you get rich next year. Then you can be on the nice list next year.

One of the clearest signs of our destruction of Iraq can be seen this Christmas day in the fears and dangers faced by Iraqi Christians. Christians have lived in Iraq since the founding of their religion and have been a vibrant part of local society with more than 1.2 million present prior to the US invasion.