What Happens When a Man Who Stole the Presidency Through Fraud and Intimidation Is Allowed to Rule a Cowed Populace for Eight Long Years?

Many so-called law enforcement officers become inflated with a generalized and pervasive disrespect for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Before you know it, even corporate media reps are getting arrested and carted away by cigar-smoking, jack-booted thugs for engaging in perfectly safe and legal activities that happen to annoy members of our political elite.

Joe Biden Named Vice President-To-Be by Barack Obama

Barack Obama has selected Joe Biden as his vice presidential running mate. The selection was made known officially to "key supporters" by SMS text message around 3:00 AM this morning and confirmed on the campaign's web site shortly afterwards, distinguishing Biden as the first candidate for Vice President in the United States to be announced by text message. It is not known if Obama was driving or still at the club at the time he sent the text.

The Potted Evergreen Cicada Makes An Annual Appearance in Roxborough

China Increases Internet Censorship

The Old Gray Lady reports that the authoritarian regime currently occupying the Chinese capital of Beijing has begun to block internet access to iTunes on the Chinese mainland, most likely in retaliation to a benefit album for Tibet being sold by Apple's online music rental service in North America and parts of Europe. According to a knowledgeable Ganymede's Ghost source in Shanghai, the regime already routinely blocks access on the mainland to several very innocuous web sites including Blogger, Wikipedia, and Ganymede's Ghost.

Obama May Have Chosen a Running Mate

With very little time remaining before the Democratic National Convention, President-To-Be Barack Obama is rumored to have chosen a Vice Presidential candidate. It's still a secret though, which leads me to believe that his administration will be much better at providing national security and protecting state secrets than the disasterous Bush-Cheney junta. The International Herald Tribune reports that Obama decided to keep his selection a secret until major campaign donors had been notified first. Expect an announcement on Wednesday. Or, not.

Just When We Thought Canada Was the Last Safe Country on Earth

Life imitates scholarship.

When Was the Last Time You Were Tested for HIV?

The New York Times is reporting from the 17th International AIDS Conference in Mexico City that, because of a new test that can distinguish between new and longstanding HIV infections, the Centers for Disease Control may have been under-reporting the number of new HIV infections in the US each year for the past fifteen years. The number of people living with HIV could actually be 1.3 to 1.4 million instead of the 1 to 1.1 million it was believed to be until this study was done. Up to one quarter of those infected do not know they are HIV positive. Gay and bisexual men of all skin colors make up 53% of all new infections. Regardless of sexual orientation, blacks are seven times more likely than whites and hispanics are three times more likely than whites to become infected.

Also according the the NYT, the CDC has known of these study findings since October 2007 but held off communicating them to the rest of us until they could get them published in a major medical journal, the occurrence of which was intended to coincide with a press conference and much fanfare at a high-profile international event such as the 17th International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. Two other journals refused to fast-track the article, but JAMA stepped up to the plate. However, the press conference in Mexico City was absolutely ruined when the press embargo was broken by public criticism from "a number of leading health experts" who were just hell bent on preventing as many new infections as possible.

Vote Your Job, Lobby Your Hobby

It appears as though the McCain campaign could be in big trouble in the part of Pennsylvania that James Carville once dismissively referred to as Alabama. I took these pictures on Sunday, July 27, pre-opening night at the Clearfield County Fair in the exhibition area in the main concourse underneath the grandstand where Foreigner headlined on Tuesday evening. It is one of the most prominent places to have an exhibition booth in the entire fairgrounds. The Republicans did not have a booth that I could find—not a smart move if you consider that the fair is one of the the largest annual public gatherings in the area. Clearfield County voted for Rendell and Casey in 2006 but Bush and Specter in 2004. The Democrats are making obvious inroads in this part of the commonwealth in addition to better publicized gains in the suburban counties surrounding Philadelphia. If Obama wins Clearfield County in the general election, it will be an upset but not a surprise.

I think it's worth noting that these guys are actually selling [or requesting donations for the City of Dubois Democratic Committee] Obama buttons, shirts, and lawn signs in a place where folks are accustomed to candidates who give all those things [and not infrequently food, beer, and styrofoam hats] away for free. I'm willing to excuse the cute donkey's unabashed sexism if it helps in any way to spare us another four years of a Republican administration made up of self-serving business cronies. Anyhow, they're not saying we should take away the little lady's right to vote, just that we should show her how to do it. I wonder if the "Vote your job, lobby your hobby" sign is intended as a warning not to vote Republican simply because the NRA tells you to. If you don't have a job, you won't be able to afford a gun or hunting trips, and no Democratic legislator in Pennsylvania in his or her right mind is going to vote to outlaw hunting if you call them after the election and ask them nicely not to.