Mike Stuckey, Senior news editor for MSNBC, reports that Feds OK Mississippi’s Katrina grant diversion

While thousands of Mississippians who lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina remain in FEMA trailers, the state intends to spend $600 million in federal grants originally earmarked for housing on a major expansion of the state-owned port — a project that could eventually include casino and resort facilities.

Despite strong objections from housing activists and two powerful congressional Democrats, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson on Friday sent Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour a letter approving the diversion.

[Read more →]

First off, where in hell are Obama and Clinton? If you have no intention or interest in defending the rights of all Americans, why are you wasting everyone’s time running for the Democratic nomination for President? Stand up or go home, but stop pretending you care.

Everyone needs to remember that this is about amending the FOREIGN Intelligence Surveillance Act. Anyone assisting the government in conducting FOREIGN Intelligence Surveillance has multiple layers of protection in existing law and needs no more. I was once engaged in FOREIGN Intelligence Surveillance, and there were a number of private companies that provided assistance in that effort. I don’t remember a single one of those corporations who did not find a way of mentioning their association in their share holder communications. What they were doing was totally legal, and, occasionally, actually useful in protecting the United States from FOREIGN threats.

[Read more →]

Update: Steve Bates and Fallenmonk aren’t impressed, and, not only is Distributorcap not impressed, he remembers having to pay taxes on the last rebate. In addition 56% of the 60K people who have clicked on the CNN quick poll think it’s too little, too late.

Kevin Drum on the stimulus package:

Bottom line: I doubt that this plan is going to provide an awful lot of stimulus. But it might do a bit of good, and certainly won’t do any harm. In today’s world, that counts as a win.

Paul Krugman on Who Gets Stimulated:

I’d guess that the top two quintiles [note: a quintile=20%] are unlikely to be liquidity-constrained, so the rebate will have little effect on their spending. But they get 58% of the money. The bottom two quintiles, which are the place you’d most expect to have an impact, get only 21% of the money. Split the difference on the middle quintile, and you’ve got a plan where around 2/3 of the outlay is likely to be ineffective.

[Read more →]

Dr. Cole at Informed Comment on the news: “Hiring Paul Wolfowitz to advise the State Department on arms control is like hiring Lindsay Lohan as a driving instructor.”

Given the way things are going, the Shrubbery should be able to deliver the shortest State of the Union address ever on Monday – “Everything sucks – thank you and whatever.”

I would think that any attempts to find any accomplishments is severely limited by the writers’ strike. Maybe he’ll just re-run last year’s address and hope no one notices. I guess we could hope for a State of the Union blooper reel.

Photo Tip

Arrrgggh!

[Editor: When taking a picture of a cat, like young Property, it is generally a good idea not to let the wrist strap dangle where they can see it. Well, they can’t see much after the flash goes off, and they don’t hang around.]

Friday Ark