Quick Hits

Another "clear out the stories I never got around to snarking about" moment:

• No snark here, this is dangerous and one of those unintended consequences. By playing to the hardcore "git the brown people" racist base, the Republican Party has actually strengthened the hand of white supremacist groups, neo-Nazis, and the KKK. I know that makes for one heck of a governing coalition, but it debases our country that we create an environment where hate groups can thrive. Thanks to the GOP, for making pulling Elie Weisel from an elevator and other examples of hatred a more common occurrence.

• First Al Gore and Richard Branson offer $25 million dollars to any scientist or engineer who can figure out how to remove massive amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere; then today Gore announced a series of concerts called "Live Earth" set for 7-7-07 to raise awareness of the climate change issue. Great idea, but for the fact that most of the acts are completely boring (I've heard good things about Fall Out Boy, the exception proving the rule). But if you can get the John Mayer-loving middle of the road public to sign on to defeat global warming, you've done something.

• Universal WiFi coming to LA? When are we just going to make this standard already? I'd say it'll be about 15 years until WiFi is as ubiqituous as an electrical socket. But it could take 2 with the proper political will.

• On the other side of progress, the Kansas School Board finally got rid of anti-evolution science standards for their public schools. This shows that anyone can evolve, even the Kansas School Board.

• Your tax dollars at work: The FBI just flat-out loses 3-4 laptops a month. Three or four sandwiches I could handle; three or four LAPTOPS? The most shocking part of the article is when the inspector general acknowledged that the problem is getting BETTER. So we were at 6-8 laptops a month before, then.

• We must pass comprehensive immigration reform to save Karl Rove's son from havibng "to pick tomatoes or make beds in Las Vegas" the way the filthy Mexicans do. Mind you, Rove is spouting the COMPASSIONATE conservative position on immigration, comparatively.

• Speaking of political offspring, Lil' Scalia got a DUI yesterday, while three of her children were in the car. Gotta love those pious, law and order Republicans.

• Virgil Goode is not letting down the anti Islamomunistofascism brigade (h/t Jesus' General) with his speech opposing the anti-escalation House resolution today. He claimed that if we leave Iraq, in the future our money will be stamped with "In Muhammad We Trust." As if it isn't already... wait, you guys don't have the "Batshit Insane Phrases Money-Stamper" from Ronco?

• Huckleberry Lindsay Graham gets caught blaming Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski for Abu Ghraib while Janis was in the room.

“Sen. Graham…I consider you as cowardly as Rumsfeld, as Sanchez, and Miller and all of them,” said Karpinski, who has long claimed to be a scapegoat for superiors including former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez and Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller.

Graham replied that those higher-ups deserved a share of the blame, but “this was going on unchecked for weeks and months, and Rumsfeld was in Washington and you were on the ground, so I stand by my statement.” Noting that Karpinski happens to reside in South Carolina, he acknowledged, “I’ve probably lost your vote.”

Karpinski herself has more at HuffPo. What a coward Graham is.

• Pat Robertson will emerge from his lair and kill you. Dead.

A plaintiff in a federal lawsuit against Pat Robertson says the televangelist threatened his life and that of his family at a legal proceeding Wednesday in the Norfolk federal courthouse.

The accuser, Phillip Busch, is suing Robertson for misappropriation of his image in the promotion of Robertson's protein diet shake.

According to a complaint Busch filed with the Norfolk police, Robertson entered a room in the courthouse Wednesday afternoon to be questioned for a deposition - an out-of-court form of testimony - and told Busch: "I am going to kill you and your family."

Don't mess with Pat Robertson's diet shake. Because Robertson is strong. And when he clamps down with his hands, you will not be able to get away.