In a column ominously titled, Euro Zone Death Trip, Paul Krugman laments the sad state of Euro nation deliberations over the fate of Greece (and Italy and Spain . . .), the Euro itself and the European economy. But he might as well have been talking about the sad state of US politics, because we’re having parts of the same argument here.

• Breaking up a protest, bankster-style.
• Another shutdown imminent?
• Krugman on the European crisis.
• Life in an Iranian prison.
• Gibson’s wood problem.

Well one thing we learned this weekend is that Freedom of Speech and assembly is available for crazy racists in tri-corner hats, but not those who deign to criticize the multi-millionaires of Wall Street.

R.E.M. – Bad Day

“When I was a kid we didn’t have seat belts or bicycle helmets. Our only protection from a nuclear bomb was a school desk.” – Lewis Black

This is a part of a series of posts analyzing the 2010 midterm elections. This post will analyze the Pennsylvania Senate election, in which Republican Pat Toomey won a narrow victory over Democrat Joe Sestak in a Democratic-leaning state.

Shorter Ross Douthat.

The New York City police department (NYPD) massively cracked down on people who were out in the streets of New York yesterday for Occupy Wall Street. Thousands came out to participate in a demonstration that has been going on for over a week and the police, unprepared for the number of people protesting, responded with “police state” measures.

To date, more than 13,500 LGBTQ servicemembers have been discharged under DADT. I would like to say that with the repeal of DADT the number of our servicemembers being discharged will stop. But it won’t. Our transgender servicemembers were not included.

Longtime journalist and award-winning author Joe McGinniss’ newest book, The Rogue, is the latest – but by no means last – book about Sarah Palin. Palin is not only the most famous Alaskan in history, she has uniquely combined political activity, celebrity, motherhood, grandmotherhood, a spousal relationship, borderline religious beliefs, professional victimhood, the American gossip universe, pop culture, legal obfuscation, new media and social networking. Increasingly known for being thin-skinned and somewhat lacking in spatial awareness, Palin, more than any American politician in a generation or so, almost begged McGinniss – or any investigative author – to move next door.