Sunday News

Clean Coal goes up in smoke. The large demonstration coal power plant with zero carbon emissions gets defunded, just as the coal industry TV ads touting it are still playing on cable news.

What the Hell did Israel attack in Syria? Seymour Hersh investigates and finds that America and Israel lied in their early leaks and we still don't know. Best guess now is a chemical factory North Korea was helping build. There are no online links yet. CNN had an interview with him. Update - Here it is.

More investigative journalism - Libya did not bring down Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie. The United States knew it, but Libya was politically a better target to accuse than Iran. Iran was retaliating against the U.S. over the shooting down of one of its passenger jets. The one convicted bomber may be released to Libya soon. "Everybody in US intelligence knew about Iran's intention to bomb an American airliner in response to the downing of one of its own only months earlier. We knew that," former CIA operative Robert Baer told Jeff Stein, the national security editor of the Congressional Quarterly Web site, CQ Politics."

Andrew Sullivan: Hillary is best for the GOP. "If you’re a hard-nosed Democrat, especially in a state that leans Republican or that voted for Bush, she is potentially toxic to your chances. No Democrat in Nebraska wants to counter an advertisement morphing his face with Hillary’s."

New Pasadena Mayor Isbell to preside over divided city council. Back stage bickering has broken out on the city council between Douglas, Riggs and others. Narrowly elected Mayor Isbell will be closely watched for missteps before the reelection campaign next year.

My thoughts for Super Duper Tuesday turn to poetry:

"Democracy will not come
Today, this year
Nor ever
Through compromise and fear."

Bird flu spreading in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand and Indonesia. Health officials on alert for any mutation to a more human spreadable form.

U.S. mends fences and acknowledges global climate change at Hawaii meeting.

Not news - Conservative disgusted by fake disgusting porn video. Video has turned viral because it is so fake and so disgusting it becomes funny.

Barack Obama: Will the world see us differently?

Since it is Sunday lets review morality. Are morals written into our genes? Why do conservatives think loyalty, obedience to authority and "purity" are moral guideposts much more than liberals? Why are liberals much stronger on not harming others and fairness? Is obedience to authority a moral value or a sickness? Have you taken the moral foundations questionaire? Not surprisingly Andrew Sullivan morally seems closer to liberals than conservatives but is mixed. Is it odd that the developer of the morality foundations test seems more concerned with happiness than morality? Why does Kohlberg's moral stages (excellent review) seem more sophisticated than Haidt's moral systems? "Stage 5 respondents say that we ought to value life for its own sake, regardless of its value to authorities (stage 1), its usefulness to oneself (stage 2), the affection it arouses in us (stage 3), or its value within a particular social order (stage 4). Stage 5 subjects have abstracted this value from other considerations and now treat it as a purely moral ideal. Their thinking, Kohlberg says, is becoming like that of the moral philosophers in the Kantian tradition." Libertarian comments on the test and interesting scores.

Kristol - "White women are a problem." Kristol is now the latest NYT problem.

My sister is one of those females very mad at anyone not supporting Hillary. She thinks Obama has no chance as a black man running for president. I think nearly all the people who won't vote for Obama won't vote for Hillary but some of those who won't vote for Hillary will vote for Obama. Of course, the more electable candidate for Red and battleground states was Edwards.

Hillary(?) push-polling in California.

Maria Shriver Endorses Obama! Her husband the guvernator endorsed McCain.

Martin Frost - Photo ID laws are snapshots of an ugly past

The brief notes that “about 12 percent of voting-age Americans lack a driver’s license.

"And about 11 percent of voting-age United States citizens — more than 21 million individuals — lack any form of current government-issued photo ID.

"That 11 percent figure grows to 15 percent for voting-age citizens earning less than $35,000 per year, 18 percent for citizens at least 65 years old and 25 percent for African-American voting-age citizens.”

A guide that can be printed out for Tuesday. But this is more comprehensive. I might go down to Clear Lake to watch with active Democrats.

Will it come down to the super-delegates? Gary Hart claims that is how he lost.