Short Takes

Better to Curse the Darkness than Light a Candle
Susan Gardner at DailyKos points out that the Tea Party Republicans who have made the most noise about spending are turning down seats on the Appropriations Committee. The last thing they want is anything resembling responsibility.

Baby Snatching
Jesus' General found the story of an undocumented worker who had her baby stolen from her by Immigration which, in turn, gave it to a white couple to own. It reminds me, on a small scale, of the Great Arizona Orphan Abduction.

Security Theater
I like this phrase for what the TSA does at airports. It is not security, it is just a grand show of pretending to be secure. The TSA allows passengers to carry complex electronic equipment with an internal power source weighing over three pounds (laptop computer) onto an airplane with only a cursory examination. However, four ounces of water is strictly verboten. Laptops will explode without even being rigged as a bomb, add a pound of PETN and you've got quite the explosion (Video of 100 grams of PETN vs. a pine tree).

The TSA makes a grand display of frisking people. They have publicly groped celebrities, humiliated cripples, and felt up young children in ways that most societies consider to be heinous sex crimes.
It is not about security. It is about intimidation and pretending. And copping the occasional feel.