Obama tries, fails to keep recipients of stimulus money secret

Yet another strange interpretation of "transparency."

Tom Ridge raised terror level for political purposes

Here's a shocker. Former Homeland Security Head Tom Ridge has said he was pressured to raise the terror alert during certain times when unfavorable news was coming out about the Bush administration. Olbermann has a good video correlating the bad news for Bush and the terror alert notices.

Two questions: 1) why is it that this kind of news often comes out when the leaker has a book to sell? 2) why is it that the terror level lowering never makes the news?

Blackwater collaborated with CIA in assassination operation

Jeremy Scahill provies some coverage in the Nation. Blackwater has a much closer relationship with certain parts of the government than many, including myself, would find appropriate. Also see Bill Moyer's interview with Scahill on his book about Blackwater.

Iraqi security forces collaborate in systematic torture, execution and kidnapping of Iraqi gays

Sad, but true.

Flickr and Obama's strange relationship

Flickr has been doing a lot of political censorship lately, the most recent taking down a mocking picture of Obama depicting him as the Joker. This is in addition to other pro-Obama censorship, including deleting the photos of a user that left critical comments on the official White House photo page. Now, this wouldn't have anything to do with Flickr signing an agreement with the Obama White House to carry their propaganda, would it?

Update: More on copyright, Flickr and the White House

Afghanistan censors its election coverage -- sort of

The Afghan government said that it expected media outlets to avoid “broadcasting any incidence of violence” between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. on election day “to ensure the wide participation of the Afghan people.” The Afghan government wouldn't have done this, of course, if there had been no election violence. Way to bring unbridled democracy to a country -- marred elections AND quasi-censorship of the press.

Obama continues rendition and torture

Obama has selected a strange candidate for his first rendition-and-torture target. Not a "terrorist," not an enemy combatant but... some mid-level employee that allegedly committed contract fraud? Just because it's unusual doesn't make this treatment any more acceptable. Especially appalling is how Obama renounced these tactics in his election campaign. Wait... this sounds familiar...