Hurricane Irene downgrades to a tropical storm. The American death toll at this moment seems to be ten. Flooding, power outages, downed trees widespread. Just because it's been downgraded, don't think you're out of the woods if you're in the path. It's still a very dangerous storm. Stay inside until authorities tell you it's safe to come out. Lots of live power lines laying around out there. Now here's [the rest of] the news...
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The most brainless headline of the day: "
Do We Really Need a National Weather Service?" -- from Fox News, of course. The money shot: "It issues severe weather advisories and hijacks local radio and television stations to get the message out. It presumes that citizens do not pay attention to the weather and so it must force important, perhaps lifesaving, information upon them."
Steve Benen feels the need to clarify, "This is not, by the way, a parody."
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It's come to this; the right is now criticizing President Obama for
competently handling Hurricane Irene. We also learn that Vice President
Joe Biden was out golfing when he should've been stopping the hurricane. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Rick Perry is quickly learning how difficult it is to
have things both ways.
What would Martin Luther King jr. think of Republican voter ID/disenfranchisement laws? I think we all know the answer to that. But just in case you can't guess, civil rights hero
Rep. John Lewis verifies that he'd be against it -- strongly.
American Family Association's
Bryan Fischer was a dumbass again.
Finally, never, ever, ever, ever visit Drudge Report. I never do and I'm able to find news stories just fine. In the
latest example of worthlessness, DR puts up a headline decrying Hurricane Irene as a "phony hurricane." If you want to make yourself stupid, just drink. It's more fun.
