Drudge Retort

9-Year-Old Drives Car for Drunk Dad

etstow — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:08:51 -0500

Cape Coral, Fl., police officers said they witnessed a 27-year-old man's truck drive onto a road median last Wednesday, then found the man's 9-year-old son driving the vehicle. Joshua James Fagan has been charged with child cruelty and allowing an unlicensed minor to drive.

'Tis the Season for War on Christmas

frankf55 — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:45:14 -0500

Meg White: With the economic crisis and a historic presidential election, it feels like we've forgotten something, some sort of time-honored media tradition ... oh yeah! The war on Christmas. The boycott-happy American Family Association is still at it, organizing an e-mail campaign against warehouse retailer Costco for replacing "Christmas" with "holidays" in their stores and direct-mail advertising.

Cohen: US Should Join International Criminal Court

Doc_Sarvis — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:35:49 -0500

Roger Cohen: Of the many issues that have soured relations between Europe and the United States under the Bush administration, few have been as poisonous as America's refusal to join the world's first permanent war crimes court in The Hague. The snub has been seen as a symbol of U.S. contempt for the rule of law. Only by aligning America again with international law can the damage inflicted on America's image and appeal by the Bush administration be undone.

Generals Urge Obama to Rethink Interrogations

dethspud — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:36:14 -0500

A group of retired military officers met President-elect Barack Obama's transition team yesterday to urge the incoming administration to prohibit torture and establish an internationally accepted standard for the treatment of detainees by all U.S. government agencies. "Torture is the technique of choice of the lazy, stupid and pseudo-tough," said John D. Hutson, a retired Navy rear admiral and former judge advocate general.

Obama Shelves Oil Windfall Tax

Iraqibukkake — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:06:29 -0500

President-elect Barack Obama is not planning to implement a windfall profit tax on oil companies because prices have dropped below $80 a barrel, an aide said on Tuesday. "President-elect Obama announced the policy during the campaign because oil prices were above $80 per barrel," an aide on Obama's transition team said. "They are currently below that now and expected to stay below that."

Attacks in Iraq at Lowest Level Since '03

leeatwater — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:30:55 -0500

Attacks fell in November to their lowest monthly level since the Iraq war began in 2003, despite recent high-profile bombings aimed at shaking public confidence, a top U.S. commander said Wednesday.

High School Teacher Sells Ads on Test

Pirate — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:33:33 -0500

In tests for teacher Tom Farber's high school class, students can demonstrate their mastery of calculus and find out where to get braces or even a haircut. Squeezed by classroom budget cuts, the Rancho Bernardo [Calif.] High School teacher is selling ads on his exams to cover the costs of printing them.

Logitech Makes One Billionth Mouse

rcade — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:42:35 -0500

Logitech, the world's biggest manufacturer of computer mice, rolled its one billionth mouse off the production line at a factory in China. The company will hold a contest to find the milestone mouse.

US Hasn't Signed On to Cluster Bomb Ban

rcade — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:14:01 -0500

As the first of more than 100 countries have begun signing a treaty to ban current designs of cluster bombs at a conference in Oslo, Norway, some of the biggest stockpilers, -- including the US, Russia and China -- are not among the signatories.

Indian Crocodiles Dying of Gout

zatoichi — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:33:12 -0500

Gharial crocodiles, fish-eating reptiles once prevalent throughout the Indian subcontinent, were down to just 200 breeding adults found in 2007 and have lost more than 100 who turned up dead on the banks of India's Chambal river. The cause? Gout due to a buildup of kidney-damaging toxins.

Obama Won't Keep Any Bush Ambassadors

redneckville — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:12:15 -0500

The incoming Obama administration has notified all politically-appointed ambassadors that they must vacate their posts as of Jan. 20, the day President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office, a State Department official said.

Capitol Opens $621 Million Visitor Center

rcade — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:37:45 -0500

The Capitol Visitor Center in Washington D.C. opened Tuesday amid great fanfare and excitement -- and a $621 million pricetag. "In the summertime, because the high humidity and how hot it gets in here, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "That is no longer going to be necessary."

Franken Claims Lead in Minnesota Recount

rcade — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:02:04 -0500

Al Franken now leads Sen. Norm Coleman by a margin of 22 votes in the recount of the Minnesota Senate election, his lead recount lawyer Marc Elias claimed today in a conference call with reporters.

Nixon Rails at Enemies in New Tapes

rcade — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:00:04 -0500

Newly released tapes from the Nixon Administration reveal the president and his senior staff dishing dirt on critics and public figures, such as marital, mental and drinking problems, and struggling to contain growing public unrest over the war in Vietnam. "Never forget," Nixon tells adviser Henry Kissinger in one conversation, "The press is the enemy. The establishment is the enemy. The professors are the enemy."