Rush Limbaugh is a leading figure in modern American media. He has helped shape our media into what it is today, for better and (mostly) worse.  This makes his latest run-in with the law, and the implications of his conduct in the Dominican Republic this past weekend, worthy of massive public comment.

I think this is an excellent and well written letter that clearly explains what the Telecoms are attempting to accomplish.  I will post the letter in its entirety:

This past Friday, May 12, I sent an e-mail to my long-distance carrier AT&T regarding release of phone records to the NSA.  it was sent to their customer resolution group via the AT&T website.  My e-mail:

I read it, thought about it, and decided I just had to respond personally to the writer.  Here is my letter as sent.

Using the European model of high gasoline taxes as a basis for reducing American demand for fuel is a non-starter.  There is a world of difference between European cities and American cities that directly relates to transportation.  

Among other tidbits, he back-stabs Frisk and claims to want more senate oversight of the White House.

It was as if I had just read a bad horror story, looked away from the book, and saw the monster standing in front of me.  Like a nightmare that I can't wake up from.  You see, for me immigration issues cut right to the core of what I believe in.  Immigration rights sit on the right hand next to free speech and freedom of/from religion.  

Now we know.  Today, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has announced these detention centers will (at least for now) be used to house illegal Chinese immigrants.  Not just the actual adults that are here in the US illegally, but Entire Families.

It seems the wolves are circling ever closer now that the Fundi's choice for SCOTUS is on the job.  Mississippi is becoming the second state to propose legistation to ban ALL abortions except for when the life of the mother is threatened.  No exemptions for health issues, rape or incest.  

Mississippi advances bill to ban most abortions

The editorial's lede:

As Aug. 29 recedes into the conscious time of many Americans, the great storm that devastated 70 miles of Mississippi's Coast, destroying the homes and lives of hundreds of thousands, fades into a black hole of media obscurity.

Never mind that, if taken alone, the destruction in Mississippi would represent the single greatest natural disaster in 229 years of American history. The telling of Katrina by national media has created the illusion of the hurricane's impact on our Coast as something of a footnote.

Last night at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. just prior to the President's Annual State of the Union speech, a middle aged woman was arrested for wearing a t-shirt.

My rant comes from listening/reading/hearing people for three days now debate whether our preznit broke the law wiretapping American citizens without even the fig leaf of non-protection the FISA provides.

My rant comes from everyone; I mean EVERYONE, somewhere in their talking points include the statement to the effect "Of Course I Care About Combating Terrorism."

Well Folks, at the risk of having all of wingnuttia flame me, I want to say right now, for the record, I DON'T FUCKING CARE ABOUT COMBATTING TERRORISM."

So please continue reading below the fold, if you dare.

Sen Lott's home was located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, on the beach front facing the Mississippi Sound, within sight of Northrop-Grumman's (Formerly Ingalls) Shipyard.  It was essentially leveled by hurricane Katrina, as was every other house along the beachfront (as was every building several blocks inland).  

It's truly a war out there, being defended by the likes of Bill O'Reilly and other champions of decent family values.  But based on their ranting, I do believe BSLWC attackers are winning.