I appeared on Democracy Now! this morning to do a wrap-up on the hearing. In the segment, I generally talk about the closing arguments, Adrian Lamo’s testimony, being part of the media pool covering the hearing and what it means that the US government is accusing Manning of aiding Al Qaeda.

To paraphrase the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Merry Effin’ Christmas.

In a news dump that came a day early (because who really wants to dump on Christmas-Eve Eve?), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission made a pair of moves Thursday that could have significant consequences for America’s nuclear industry–and all the people who have to live with it.

While none have suffered at the hands of police, all have felt the arrival of General Winter, Joseph Stalin’s savior during World War II. And General Winter knows the Erie battlefield well. We hope the lawyer can help figure a way for us to be able to survive the repeated barrages of sub-zero cold, snow, ice and gale force winds that are the artillery of General Winter. So far, our only help here has come from Occupy Supply.

And what a great amount of help it has been! While the supplies sent have been greatly welcomed, the knowledge that this front in the Occupy Movement is not forgotten is a gift that warms us like the summer sun. Each time the City strips us of our weather protection, they harden our resolve to stay. Yet the less we have to defeat those attacks by General Winter, the more likely we are to suffer attrition.

Politifact won the “Pompous Response to Criticism of the Year” award yesterday for their rebuttal to criticism about their awarding of the Lie of the Year to the correct claim by Democrats that Paul Ryan’s Path to Prosperity budget would end Medicare.

Ashden Fein delivered the closing argument for the government and began by stating Pfc. Bradley Manning was a US Army intelligence analyst the Army trained and trusted to use intelligence systems. He “used that training to defy our trust to indiscriminately and systematically harm us.” He “abused our trust” and mined as much as information from SIPRnet while using the WikiLeaks “most wanted list” as a “guiding light.” And, he added, Manning “continued to harvest the information knowing it would be released and accessible to enemies.”

A variety of links to articles/interviews on current topics that may, or may not, be of interest.

Yes, it had been a good week, when Mitt found himself back in charge of the GOP nomination race.

Darlene Love — Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home), from 1993 on The Late Show with David Letterman.

There are many ways and reasons for people to become Invisible. Sometimes it is race. Other times it is physical disability or “social status”. Homeless people are also on this list.

I grew up regarding the New York Times as the “paper of record,” so it surprised me both as it slid into the sewer and as I discovered that, if it was covering a story I actually knew anything about, it was frequently, well, shall we say, “less than accurate.” The latest: a story by [...]