The world’s safest and most useful tool is working impressively again, in Utah. (All you taser fans in the crack den *cough cough* get out your lotion, because this stuff is hot.)

Tasered in front of wife and baby? Check.
Tasered for a speeding ticket? Check.
No threat and no warning? Check.
Sarcastic approval from other cops on the scene? Check.

Digby says it all:

Police in the country are now allowed to torture speeders by the side of the highway in order to get them to comply. The only difference between this officer slugging the speeder in the stomach and putting 50,0000 volts of electricity in him is that the latter doesn’t leave any marks. The intent, the pain and the goose-stepping authoritarian message are exactly the same.

Word to the wise. Do not ever question the police, no matter whether they are violating your rights, ignoring the constitution or breaking the law. It is perfectly legal for them to torture you on the spot if you do.

I’m feeling so free I can hardly breathe.  Read more 

Traveling?  Read more 

From Reuters comes this story of just how much more credibility the right-wing “security” theatre gives to authoritarians it finds sympathetic: Catholic pilgrims to Lourdes (remember “The Song of Bernadette”?) aren’t allowed to bring back holy water from the spring. But the Church can plant some in every seat on the plane.  Read more 

Good on you, Chris. One of the advantages of being ahead of the game is that you get to make decisions like this one, and Chris is showing he’s a ’money where his mouth is’ kind of guy. I encourage all of our readers with a little pocket change to toss in. No, I’m not getting any, but I agree with Chris and many others- sooner or later we’re going to have to start getting serious about organization, compensation, and support. What, did you think Soros was going to do it for you?

It’s like NPR, but without the Federal support. You like what you read on blogs? You like your new Democratic congress? Well, once in a while you have to be ready to pay for it. You know Republicans are so flush with your stolen tax dollars money that they can keep people like the Pantload and Drudge in slush money and cushy jobs, no matter how little money they make from blogging or writing. And as I’ve said before, for those of you who are activists, bloggers and Open Source types: the next step is to Unionize. Kudos, Chris. You’re really proving yourself to be a leader.

This makes me want to cry.

Most used pseudonyms, but no subject was taboo: sex, off-color jokes, personal confessions, and dumping on the ruling clerics.  Read more 

I’m both impressed and a little jealous- blogs are changing the government…of Red China? Shit, I guess we’ve got a ways to go:

Posted on Monday, June 5, 2006. From a set of regulations issued in August to the staff of China Youth Daily, a Beijing-based newspaper. Li Datong, then editor of the paper’s weekly supplement, was fired for writing an email criticizing the regulations, which tie salaries to a system of points, saying they would “enslave and emasculate and vulgarize” the newspaper. The Chinese government announced they were abandoning the system after Li’s letter was circulated on several Chinese blogs. Translated from the Chinese. Originally from Harper’s Magazine, April 2006.
(1) If the Chinese Youth Communist Party’s Central Committee praises an article, the author will receive 80 extra points.  Read more 

From the SaveTheInternet website:

rom Blue Meme, May 26, 2006

A U.S. House of Representatives committee has approved a bill that would prohibit broadband providers from blocking or impairing their customers’ access to Web content offered by competitors.

The House Judiciary Committee voted 20-13 to approve the bill, called the Internet Freedom and Nondiscrimination Act. Bill sponsor James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisconsin), the chairman of the committee, was joined by a handful of Republicans and most of the committee’s Democrats in supporting the bill.  Read more