The Obama Administration swears that their deportation program has only captured criminals and sent them back to their home countries. Recently acquired data shows that to be false. Now we’re learning that not only non-criminals have been caught up in the immigration net. So have American citizens.

With the recent case of the former Macy’s employee, Natalie Johnson, who was fired because she harassed a transgender customer, the right wing group, the Liberty Counsel, is acting as if it won the lottery, spnning the incident on Fox News as a violation of religious liberty.

The House passed its payroll tax cut Christmas tree of a bill yesterday, with a minimal amount of defections from the conservative wing of the caucus. The final vote was 234-193. Fourteen Republicans voted against the measure, while ten Democrats (Barrow, Boren, Boswell, Braley, Cardoza, Donnelly, Loebsack, Matheson, Ross, Walz) voted for it. The President has promised a veto, and the bill is DOA in the Senate.

It is far from obvious that the purpose of a proposal that would have almost no impact on the overwhelming majority of rich people is in fact motivated by a desire to “make sure that the wealthiest Americans contribute more to reducing the deficit and paying for middle-class tax relief.” In fact, if anyone looks at the numbers, one could get the opposite impression since these proposals are being presented as alternatives to proposals to have a surtax on the income of the richest one percent. Such taxes would be a much greater expense to the richest one percent.

Responding to pressure from Internet giants and a growing coalition of activists, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) amended his legislation on Internet copyrights yesterday, rolling back some of the more dangerous elements. A HJC markup of the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, will take place this Thursday, but SOPA critics are not yet satisfied.

New York Police Department officers arrested seventeen people at an Occupy Wall Street flash mob action in Brookfield Properties’ Winter Garden yesterday. Those seventeen people each have something in common: they all are somehow involved with media. At the action, they were taking photos, video and tweeting out updates on the action. And, now, more than thirty-six hours later, they have finally been released from jail.

The Occupy 17, as they are being referred to on Twitter, will have plenty to say when they get out. In the meantime, audio recently posted by Occupy Info that was recorded hours ago provides a first glimpse into what those arrested have been experiencing in jail.

Dayen’s news roundup from Tuesday night, December 13, 2011. Ron Paul! Newt!, Edsall on inequity. Corzine and Lieberman, Federal Reserve, Fracking forever. And much more.

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

Looks like the sound construction practices expected from military contracts has once again come to pass.

Patent Pending — Douchebag.