PolITiGenomics

Speaking of global climate change and snowstorms, NPR has a story this morning about how a lot of snow in Washington, DC does not contradict the theory of global climate change. For those who missed second grade, the piece contains this information.

A storm is part of what scientists classify as weather. Weather is largely influenced by local conditions and changes week to week. It’s fickle — fraught with wild ups and downs.

Climate is the long-term trend of atmospheric conditions across large regions, even the whole planet. Changes in climate are slow and measured in decades, not weeks.

Judging from the comments on the story, it seems some are not swayed by facts and logic. I am sure their objections are based on sound scientific inquiry and not politically motivated.

It seems there is a shortage of news satire ideas. Two days ago, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report each had similar pieces on global climate change.

Rachel Maddow also had similar sentiments.

(For the slow learners out there, climate and weather are not the same thing. You were supposed to have learned this in second grade.)

Then, again, last night there were similar similarities (yes, that’s intentional) between The Daily Show and The Colbert Report’s reports on the response of Republicans (and Admiral Ackbar) to President Obama’s invitation to participate in a televised bipartisan summit on health care reform.

Well, it’s funny anyway.

Please consider writing your representatives in Congress to support the Fair Elections Now Act (S. 752 and H.R. 1286); a bill that will greatly limit the damage done by the recent Supreme Court decision overturning a century of election law. Change Congress makes it easy to email your representatives. See the video below for one reason why this is important.

Update: Added video.

So much for populist rage. We better be careful to not anger Wall Street tycoons.

I’m not talking about Rob Lowe, but about the corrupting influence of money in politics. Watch the talk Lawrence Lessig recently gave at the conservative Cato Institute to learn how bad it is, and how it is likely to become much worse.

And for fun, watch Stephen Colbert’s take on it.

And finally, do something about it.

Update: Added Colbert video and link to Change Congress.

What should the Democrats learn from their fall from grace over the past year? There are a lot of opinions as to what exactly the recent losses mean and what the Democrats and President Obama should do. Two of the more interesting come from David Brooks in Politics in the Age of Distrust and Drew Western in Obama Finally Gets His Victory For Bipartisanship.

Independent Lens has an interesting piece about copyright, music, and the nature of creativity entitled Copyright Criminals. If you get a chance to watch it, you should.

WELL DONE, SIR!

The man has become a caricature of himself… well, at the very least Jon Stewart has become a caricature of him.

This is pretty funny too.

There really are not words to describe the Supreme Court’s decision yesterday to undo decades of court decisions and over a century of campaign finance law. Fortunately, some people are trying. You can help too.

Some are trying a bit too hard.

Then again, this is just the first pillar to fall. There are literally no limits to the changes in law, election or otherwise, that this decision makes possible.

Update: Changed “some people” help link to Lessig’s article on The Huffington Post and moved the Change Congress link to the “you can help” link.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

P.S. It’s not just Republicans who have selective memories.