Darylsurat

Charles and David Koch paid good money for that fresh-faced Congress, and now they expect to see some results, stat.

At the National Press Club yesterday, AFP president Tim Phillips and several officers with the group laid out their agenda. The group is calling for legalizing crude oil exports, a repeal of the estate tax, approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, blocking any hike in the gas tax, a tax holiday on corporate profits earned overseas, blocking the EPA’s new rules on carbon emissions from coal-burning power plants, and a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, along with a specific focus on the medical device tax.

The announcement was touted by NPR as a “conservative agenda for Congress.” But it’s also a near mirror image of Koch Industries’ lobbying agenda. Koch Industries — the petrochemical, manufacturing and commodity speculating conglomerate owned by David and Charles — is not only a financier of political campaigns, but leads one of the most active lobbying teams in Washington, a big part of why the company has been such a financial success.

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On January 27th, Kodansha will be kicking off a biweekly DVD magazine release of 1971's 23 episode Lupin III TV series and 1977's 155 episode follow-up.  The first four episode with 100 Secret Trivia and the first part of an interview with creator Monkey Punch is offered for the special price of 760yen (821yen with taxes). The second installment, due February 10th,  has a Best Sexy Shot Fujiko Mine reverse side cover and Kiyoshi Kobayash (Jigen) interview for the standard price of 1,642yen.

 

Check out the ads Kodansha posted..

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.

This January marks the fifth anniversary of Citizens United v. FEC, the 2010 Supreme Court case that expanded the idea of "corporate personhood" by ruling that the First Amendment protects a corporation's right to make unlimited expenditures in support of political candidates as a form of speech. Network news coverage of its legal impact, however, has largely ignored how the Supreme Court continues to aggressively expand the decision.

This expansion of corporate rights has wide-ranging consequences, even outside of the context of campaign finance deregulation. The court's decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, for example, seemed to embrace the idea that corporations are capable of morally objecting to contraception coverage, co-opting yet another constitutional right -- that of religion -- that had previously been reserved for people, not businesses.

In terms of election law, the conservative justices further dismantled campaign finance restrictions in 2014's McCutcheon v. FEC, which struck down aggregate campaign donation limits and allowed wealthy donors to contribute money to a virtually unlimited number of candidates and political parties. The court will hear yet another campaign finance case on January 20 called Williams-Yulee v. the Florida Bar, which could strike down a Florida rule that prohibits judicial candidates from directly soliciting money from donors -- a rule that was put in place in response to a serious corruption scandal that resulted in the resignations of four Florida Supreme Court justices.

Yet despite the cascade of decisions from conservative justices intent on dismantling campaign finance regulations and rewriting corporate rights -- and the majority of Americans who support a constitutional amendment that would overturn Citizens United -- the media have largely underreported this story.

Here are four graphics that illustrate this failure.

Fox News diminished the importance of paid sick and parental leave for working families and other employees as unnecessary "giveaways," ignoring the fact that paid sick leave policies have proven to save the economy billions of dollars annually, improve businesses, and predominately help low-income workers and women.  

On January 15, President Obama launched an initiative to urge federal agencies and private-sector businesses to provide paid sick and family leave to working parents and other employees. And as The New York Times reported, pushed Congress to pass measures that will "let workers earn up to a week of paid sick time a year," provide federal workers "an additional six weeks of paid parental leave," and "encourage states to create paid family and medical leave programs." As The Washington Post's Wonkblog noted, "The U.S. remains the world's only wealthy nation that does not mandate a minimum of paid sick leave, vacation leave or parental leave."

On the January 15 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom, Stuart Varney dismissed the initiatives as a "giveaway" and a political ploy aimed at making Republicans "look bad." Host Martha MacCallum flippantly diminished the importance of paid sick leave for working families and other employees saying, "What happened to, if you are really sick and you really can't come to work you don't come to work, and then if you are not really sick then you don't get any sick days?": 

But Fox's dismissal ignores the fact that paid sick days have been shown to save the U.S. economy billions of dollars annually. According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, "Paid sick days help to decrease the productivity lost when employees work sick... which is estimated to cost our national economy $160 billion annually." Paid sick leave also contributes to workplace stability by removing the cost of replacing workers and the risk of infecting other workers. 

Additionally, The Center for Economic Policy Research found that Connecticut's paid sick leave law had a negligible financial impact on the businesses that had to change their policies to comply with the law. Furthermore, these businesses reported minimal abuse of sick leave policies and a host of benefits:

The largest increases in paid sick leave coverage after the law went into effect were in health, education and social services; hospitality; and retail. Part-time workers, rarely covered before the law took effect, benefited disproportionately from its passage. Few employers reported abuse of the new law, and many noted positive benefits such as improved morale and reductions in the spread of illness in the workplace.

And paid sick leave policies predominately help low-income workers and women. As The Washington Post's Wonkblog pointed out, low-income workers are four times less likely to get paid sick leave than the top 10 percent of private sector wage earners. And a Kaiser Family Foundation report found that women are overwhelmingly more likely than men to need paid sick leave to care for their sick children, and the poorest moms have the fewest benefits with "only 36 percent of moms below 200 percent of the federal poverty level" having paid sick leave.

It looks like some of the leaked images that made their way around the Internet this week were legit. During this morning's Nintendo Direct presentation it was announced that the New Nintendo 3DS XL will launch in North America and Europe on February 13.

 

Europe will be getting both the regular and XL models, but North America is only getting the XL. 

 

New Nintendo 3DS brings a number of new features to the portable, including longer battery life, more stable face-tracking 3D, a C-stick that can move the camera and do other things in games like use Smashes in Super Smash Bros., and more. 

 

Red and black versions will be available at launch, priced at $199.99. While New Nintendo 3DS XL won't come with an A/C adapter, you'll be able to use one from previous 3DS/DSi units or buy one separately.

 

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Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. He also likes to draw comics. His blog can be found at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox.

Story of female ninja to end on January 16 after nearly three years

Toei's 1978 Spider-Man made comics appearance this week

A shocking 82 "high liability" criminal cases -- mostly involving sexual assaults on children and abuse of seniors -- were botched by a single Florida detective, a report revealed this week.

According to the Florida Bulldog investigative blog, the cases were reviewed as part of a larger investigation of Coconut Creek Police Chief Michael Mann, which the Broward State Attorney’s Office quietly ended in October.

Each of the 82 cases had been assigned to then-Detective Tammy Kilgore Alois, who was accused mishandling evidence, failing to interview victims and witnesses, and failing to present cases for prosecution.

Documents obtained by Florida Bulldog indicated that no one in the Coconut Creek Police Department had been held criminally responsible for the miscarriage of justice.

“The cases that Detective Alois was primarily assigned to were high liability cases that typically involved juvenile victims,” one internal report noted. “Failure to follow up or complete these types of cases in a timely manner can greatly affect the level of solvability, successful prosecution and, most importantly, put other members of the community at risk.”

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Those of you looking for some fresh reading material can now nab some free content from the folks at Otaku USA magazine—including yours truly (that's me)—in The Very Best Anime Guide. The e-book is available for download via the Otaku USA website, and all you have to do is sign up for the free newsletter, which includes regular doses of reviews, features, and news straight from Japan.

 

The Very Best Anime Guide has a bunch of Otaku USA editors and contributors coming together to name some of their favorite anime series and films, from timeless classics like Akira, Galaxy Express 999, and Cowboy Bebop to recent hits like Madhouse's Hunter x Hunter anime, Mamoru Hosoda's Wolf Children, and more. 

 

 

In addition to features and reviews, the meat of The Very Best Anime Guide is a section that has contributors listing their personal favorite anime of all time along with some of the reasons it still resonates to this day. There are also a handful of Top 5 lists to top things off, so chances are some of your most beloved shows and movies make an appearance somewhere in the guide.

 

While it would be pretty tough to include everything, go ahead and take a look to see how your own tastes line up with those of Otaku USA, and feel free to comment with your own top shows below or over at the Otaku USA Facebook page!

 

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Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. He also likes to draw comics. His blog can be found at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox.

The less money I give Comcast, the happier I am. What really ticks me off is, my Comcast modem (and yours) are now wifi hotspots for all Comcast customers! Shouldn't they have to pay me for that privilege? Nope, not in Comcast World, where they charge me extra for the modem:

Comcast and Time Warner Cable have just raised fees for renting a modem so high that it now makes sense to buy your own. Even if it's a headache installing it.

The cable companies just hiked the monthly rates they charge customers for leasing their modems -- a somewhat hidden charge that most people don't even think about.

The price hikes are significant: Time Warner Cable's fee is leaping from $5.99 to $8, and Comcast's fee is jumping from $8 to $10.

That's a surprise 25% to 33% price surge. In the case of Time Warner Cable, this is the second fee increase in just over a year. Some Comcast Xfinity customers weren't notified until mid-December that prices would be raised on Jan. 1.

Time Warner Cable noted that the fee pays for "guaranteed full support and maintenance." Comcast did not return calls for comment.

Why buying makes sense now

People typically rent a modem for three reasons: Self-installation is a confusing chore. You might buy a modem that's not compatible. And most importantly, they're expensive.

But the game has changed. Consider the yearly fees: Time Warner Cable's rental fee is now $96. Comcast's rental is now $120.

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I guess we can add "dancing while black" to the list of things you're not allowed to do according to the NYPD.

WATCH: Cops Throw YouTube Prankster To Ground For Dancing Behind Them:

New York City police officers threw a prankster to the ground for dancing behind them in a video that was posted to YouTube on Saturday.

The incident came about while prankster Alexander Bok was carrying out a dare issued by daytime talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who challenged viewers to "sneak up behind perfect strangers" and "dance behind them without them knowing it."

Bok danced behind unsuspecting New Yorkers in and around Grand Central Terminal in the video, which was reportedly filmed on Dec. 24.

Bok started performing the "Gangnam Style" dance behind an NYPD officer but stopped when the cop noticed him and turned around. At that point several cops could be heard questioning Bok while he tried to explain that he was just dancing.

"What's wrong with you, bro?" one of the cops could be heard saying in the video.

"What are you dancing in the street for?" another asked.

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AnimEigo announced that its Kickstarter-backed Bubblegum Crisis Ultimate Edition Blu-Ray Set is now available for purchase by non-backers of the campaign....

Conservative media issued catastrophic predictions and myths about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014, despite ample evidence that the health care law is working. Media Matters looks back at six claims about Obamacare that didn't pan out for the right-wing media this year.

MYTH: ACA Will Eliminate Millions Of Jobs

MYTH: Obamacare Won't Reduce Number Of Uninsured Americans

MYTH: The Affordable Care Act Is "Failing The Public"

MYTH: "Millions Will Lose Insurance" As Companies Drop Health Benefits

MYTH: The Affordable Care Act Creates "Death Panels" To Ration Care

MYTH: Health Care Premiums Will Rise Dramatically Thanks To Obamacare

MYTH: The ACA Will Eliminate Millions Of Jobs

Rush Limbaugh Spins CBO Report To Claim ACA Will Eliminate Millions Of Jobs. After the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released their 10-year Budget and Economic Outlook report in February, conservative media attempted to spin their finding that the ACA would create more job opportunities by freeing Americans from job lock by claiming that it would actually eliminate positions. On the February 6 edition of The Rush Limbaugh Show Limbaugh pointed to the report to proclaim that "2.5 million jobs, minimum" would be lost, calling it a "literal tragedy for the country." [Premiere Radio Networks, The Rush Limbaugh Show, 2/6/14]

WSJ: Health Reform A "Job Destroyer" That Reduces "Economic Mobility." In a February 4 editorial, The Wall Street Journal highlighted the CBO report to claim that Obamacare is a "job destroyer" and an "in-kind bonus for unemployment." The Journal concluded that the law is "removing rungs from the ladder of upward economic mobility." [The Wall Street Journal, 2/4/14]

REALITY: The ACA Reduces Job Lock, Creates Jobs, Stimulates Economy

Economists Praise Health Care Law For Reducing Economic Insecurity. Following the release of the CBO's report, economists noted that what conservative media had hyped as a major flaw actually played a key role in reducing economic insecurity. Elise Gould of the Economic Policy Institute explained that the reduction of hours worked was based on "purely voluntary labor supply decisions, not people being laid off from jobs they'd rather keep, or people looking for work and being unable to find it," calling the finding an "unambiguously good thing." Economist Dean Baker also noted that the CBO's findings actually demonstrated that people who had previously been forced to work in order to receive health benefits now have economic security thanks to the health care law. [Economic Policy Institute, 2/4/14] [Los Angeles Times, 2/4/14]

CBO: ACA Will Create Jobs And Stimulate Economic Growth. The CBO report projected that the health care law would reduce job lock by allowing some workers to choose to work fewer hours because they will be able to maintain health insurance coverage outside of employment. The report explained that the projected changes in the labor supply due to the reduction of job lock would increase opportunity for the unemployed by voluntarily freeing up jobs. The report predicted that the health care law would also create jobs and would have a stimulative effect of "raising overall demand in the economy":

If changes in incentives lead some workers to reduce the amount of hours they want to work or to leave the labor force altogether, many unemployed workers will be available to take those jobs--so the effect on overall employment of reductions in labor supply will be greatly dampened.

[...]

[T]he ACA's subsidies for health insurance will both stimulate demand for health care services and allow low-income households to redirect some of the funds that they would have spent on that care toward the purchase of other goods and services--thereby increasing overall demand. That increase in overall demand while the economy remains somewhat weak will induce some employers to hire more workers or to increase the hours of current employees during that period. [Congressional Budget Office, 2/4/14] [Media Matters, 2/5/14]

MYTH: Obamacare Won't Reduce Number Of Uninsured Americans

Fox's Krauthammer: ACA Won't Reduce Number Of Uninsured Americans. After the CBO released its 10-year Budget and Economic Outlook report in February, conservative media quickly moved to interpret its findings negatively. On the February 12 edition of Fox News' Special Report, Fox contributor Charles Krauthammer cited the report in order to falsely suggest that the health care law wouldn't significantly impact the number of uninsured Americans:

KRAUTHAMMER: [Y]ou get this crazy paradox where the CBO, the Congressional Budget Office, has projected that the number of uninsured Americans in 10 years will be 31 million. When Obama launched Obamacare in 2009, he explained the moral imperative was because there were 30 million uninsured Americans. So here we're going to go through a complete revolution of one-sixth of the U.S. economy, the dislocation of doctors, hospitals, patients, and plans everywhere, including insurers, in order to achieve a result in a decade where we have essentially the same number of uninsured. So what was this all about? [Fox News, Special Report with Bret Baier, 2/12/14]

Fox News Sunday: ACA Resulted In "Net Loss" Of Insured. As the March 31 deadline for open enrollment approached, Fox News Sunday guest and former Bush administration official Paul Wolfowitz speculated that Obamacare may actually increase the number of uninsured Americans due to canceled plans. [Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox News Sunday, 3/23/14]

Fox & Friends: The ACA's "Net Result Is Quite Negative." On the March 31 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends co-hosts Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Steve Doocy asserted that the "net result" of the ACA "is quite negative" when you consider those who have had canceled plans. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 3/31/14]

REALITY: Millions Have Received Coverage Through The Affordable Care Act

Wash. Post: Claims That ACA "Has Resulted In A 'Net Loss'" For Insured Fly "In The Face Of Facts." In a March 17 fact-check analyzing claims that the ACA had resulted in a "net loss" in those with insurance, The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler wrote that the assertion "flies in the face of facts." Giving the claim "four Pinocchios," Kessler explained that most "whose old plans were canceled were automatically move to new plans":

A large percentage of the people whose old plans were canceled were automatically moved to new plans offered by the same insurance companies. These people may not be happy with their new coverage -- and may have appeared in an ad sponsored by Americans for Prosperity -- but they got a plan without going through HealthCare.gov.

[...]

Precise figures are not available, as the insurance market is private and fragmented, but insurance company officials say a majority of people could move to new plans they were offered.

[...]

In other words, almost nobody in that pool of 6 million does not have insurance. If they didn't, they surely would be featured in an anti-Obamacare ad. But those ads feature people who don't like their new plans, rather than being left high and dry with no coverage. [The Washington Post, 3/17/14]

New York Times: "Number Of Americans Without Health Insurance Is Down By 25 Percent." Despite claims to the contrary, millions of Americans have gained health coverage through the ACA. As The New York Times reported, "a series of private sector surveys and a government report" both found that "the number of Americans without health insurance has been reduced by about 25 percent this year -- or eight million to 11 million people." The Times also noted that in addition to those insured through the exchanges, "three million to four million people, mostly young adults, became newly insured through provisions of the law that kicked in before this year." [The New York Times, 10/27/14]

Urban Institute: Rate Of Uninsured Dropped By More Than 30%. According to a study by the Urban Institute's Health Policy Center, the total uninsurance rate in the United States has dropped by 30.1 percent -- "from 17.7 percent to 12.4 percent"- between September 2013 and September 2014:

The uninsurance rate for nonelderly adults has fallen sharply since the first Marketplace open enrollment period began in October 2013, with larger gains in states that expanded Medicaid and among adults targeted by the Medicaid expansion and the new Marketplace subsidies. Our estimates show that approximately 10.6 million nonelderly adults (with a 95 percent confidence interval of 8.5 million to 12.6 million) gained coverage between September 2013 and September 2014: a 30.1 percent decrease in the national uninsurance rate for this population.  [Urban Institute, 12/3/14]

MYTH: The Affordable Care Act Is "Failing The Public"

Hasselbeck: Obamacare Is "Failing The Public." On the November 14 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck asserted that the healthcare law is "failing the public" and her colleague Steve Doocy added that the notion the law would help Americans is purely a "fabrication." [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 11/14/14]

Fox Contributor Siegel: Obamacare Is "A Cancer On The Health Care System." On the same edition of Fox & Friends, Dr. Marc Siegel argued that the ACA is "a cancer on the health care system because it's infiltrating normal, healthy health-care tissue." [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 11/14/14]

REALITY: Those Enrolled Say The Health Care Law Is Working

Gallup: ACA Is Overwhelmingly Popular With Those Insured Through It. According to a November Gallup poll, 71% of those who have received health insurance through the ACA reported that their coverage was "good or excellent." As Politico noted, those who had received insurance through the exchanges were also "more satisfied with the cost of health care" than those insured otherwise and the majority of those who had enrolled planned to keep their insurance the following year. [Politico, 11/14/14]

MYTH: "Millions Will Lose Insurance" As Companies Drop Health Benefits

Betsy McCaughey: ACA "Will Hurt Twice As Many People As It Helps." In a January 14 New York Post op-ed, serial health care misinformer Betsy McCaughey cited a flawed survey to falsely claim that 25 million Americans would lose their coverage because of the health care law, claiming it "will hurt twice as many people as it helps" by making "employer-provided policies illegal." [New York Post, 1/14/14]

REALITY: Studies Show That Most Employers Are Not Dropping Health Benefits

Wash. Post: "Few Employers Dropping Health Benefits." As The Washington Post reported on November 19, despite critics claims to the contrary "The Affordable Care Act has not prompted the nation's employers to drop health benefits for some or all of their workers." Pointing to surveys from the Employee Benefit Research Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management, The Post noted that "just 1 percent of employers said they have decided to stop offering health coverage for 2015" and that the surveys "also found relatively little tendency for companies to narrow the groups offered coverage." [The Washington Post, 11/19/14]

MYTH: The Affordable Care Act Creates "Death Panels" To Ration Care

Fox & Friends: ACA Creates Death Panels To Ration Health Care. On the September 26 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, network contributor Dr. Marc Siegel cited an article in The Atlantic detailing former White House health care adviser Ezekiel J. Emanuel's opinions on end of life healthcare to claim that Emanuel's suggestions meant that they should "write off" patients at a certain age, while co-host Steve Doocy suggested that "maybe you're talking about those death panels that have been rumored for so long." [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 9/26/14]

National Review Online: ACA Death Panels Not "Far-Fetched." National Review Online cited Emanuel's piece in The Atlantic as evidence of "a first step towards medical rationing," and claimed "suddenly Sarah Palin's attack on Obamacare's "death panels" don't seem so far-fetched." [National Review Online, 9/26/14]

Right-Wing Media Exploit VA Scandal To Claim ACA Created Death Panels. The conservative website Truth Revolt exploited allegations that up to 40 veterans died waiting for care from the Veteran's Affairs administration (VA), to claim that investigations into the department showed that death panels do exist. In a May 17 blog post, Truth Revolt claimed that "Sarah Palin was right" about death panels "inside Obamacare." [TruthRevolt.org, 5/17/14]

Fox's Bolling: VA Problems Proving That Sarah Palin Was Right About Death Panels In ACA. On the May 19 edition of Fox & Friends, co-host Eric Bolling claimed that former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was right when she said the ACA had death panels because of allegations of a waiting list for veterans receiving care from the VA: 

Whether you believe it or not, Sarah Palin and a couple other people on the right said there will be death panels. There will be people deciding who gets what treatment and when and that's just gonna put long waiting lines on certain types of treatment. Well, if the VA isn't proving that right now, nothing is. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/19/14]

REALITY: Claims Of Death Panels Have Been Conclusively Debunked

Health Care Law Explicitly Prohibits "Any Recommendation To Ration Health Care." The text of the ACA explicitly confirms that the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) cannot make "any recommendation to ration health care... or otherwise restrict benefits or modify eligibility criteria":

The proposal shall not include any recommendation to ration health care, raise revenues or Medicare beneficiary premiums under section 1818, 1818A, or 1839, increase Medicare beneficiary cost- sharing (including deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments), or otherwise restrict benefits or modify eligibility criteria. [Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, accessed 8/13/13, OpenCongress.org]

Claims Of "Death Panels" Have Been Conclusively Discredited. In one of the dozens of media reports debunking claims of euthanasia and "death panels," PolitiFact reiterated that "there's certainly no 'death board' that determines the worthiness of individuals to receive care" through the Affordable Care Act, assigning the claim a "Pants on Fire!" rating:

We've looked at the inflammatory claims that the health care bill encourages euthanasia. It doesn't. There's certainly no 'death board' that determines the worthiness of individuals to receive care. ... [Palin] said that the Democratic plan will ration care and 'my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's "death panel" so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their "level of productivity in society," whether they are worthy of health care.' Palin's statement sounds more like a science fiction movie (Soylent Green, anyone?) than part of an actual bill before Congress. We rate her statement Pants on Fire! [PolitiFact.com, 8/10/09]

MYTH: Health Care Premiums Will Rise Dramatically Thanks To Obamacare

Conservative Media Cite Anonymously Sourced Article To Claim Premiums Will "Skyrocket." In a March 19 post for The Hill's Healthwatch blog, Elise Viebeck quoted an anonymous source to make the highly speculative claim that "ObamaCare-related premiums will double in some parts of the country." Subsequently, Fox Nation highlighted the post with a headline declaring "300%: Insurance Industry Predicts Skyrocketing ObamaCare Premiums." [Media Matters, 3/20/14]

Fox News Co-opts Report On Slow-Down In Health Care Premium Increases To Hype Fears Of Rising Premiums. On December 7 edition of Fox News' America's News HQ, host Shannon Bream twisted a report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which outlined that premiums would generally "rise modestly" but explained that before the ACA, "people who purchased health insurance plans in the individual market often saw double-digit rate increases on average." Guest Stephen Moore asserted that there has been a "dramatic increase" in premium prices and that "these numbers are going to go up even higher in future years." [Fox News, America's News HQ, 12/7/14] [HHS, 12/4/14; 12/4/14]

Fox's Tantaros: Health Insurance Premiums "Have Been Driven Through The Roof." Andrea Tantaros capitalized on the HHS report on the December 5 edition of Fox News' Outnumbered to question whether its assertion of a "modest" increase in premiums was a "shell-game" meant to conceal other costs, and to claim premiums "have been driven through the roof." [Fox News, Outnumbered, 12/5/14]

REALITY: Increases In Health Care Premiums Have Slowed Since Implementation Of ACA

ThinkProgress: Health Care Premiums Increasing "At A Far Slower Rate" Than Prior To The Affordable Care Act. ThinkProgress' Igor Volsky explained that health care premiums are increasing at "a far slower rate than they did before" the Affordable Care Act was passed. Noting that at least 14 states will actually experience a decrease on average premiums, Volsky pointed out that prior to the passage of health care reform, premiums typically rose by more than 10% annually:

Obama administration officials announced on Thursday that health care premiums for policies available through the Affordable Care Act will increase slightly on average in 2015, growing at a far slower rate than they did before President Barack Obama signed reform into law in 2010.

Premiums will decrease, on average, in at least 14 of the 35 states where the federal government has established a health care exchange. In the remaining 21 states, premiums will fluctuate between a two percent increase in Utah and Wisconsin to a 28 percent spike in Alaska. On average, the report concludes that premiums for the second-lowest cost policy will rise "by 2 percent on average this year before tax credits, while premiums for the lowest-cost silver plan will increase on average by 5 percent."

Prior to reform, an analysis conducted for the Commonwealth Fund, found that on average, premiums in the individual and small group markets rose by more than 10 percent annually. [ThinkProgress, 12/4/14]

Nothing captures the absurdity and insincerity of conservative media quite like Comedy Central's The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Media Matters takes a look back at Stewart and Colbert's best takedowns of 2014.

Jon Stewart Tackles Fox News' Polar Vortex Snow Trolls

As a polar vortex entombed much of the nation in freezing temperatures in January, right-wing media went into high gear trying to exploit the weather event as evidence that global warming is a myth. Scientists disagree with this claim, and as Time's Bryan Walsh noted, "not only does the cold spell not disprove climate change, it may well be that global warming could be making the occasional bout of extreme cold weather in the U.S. even more likely."

Jon Stewart nipped the narrative in the bud on the January 6 edition of The Daily Show.

Bill O'Reilly's Super Bowl Interview With Obama Goes Under The Daily Show Knife

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly interviewed President Obama before the NFL's Super Bowl XLVIII and used the opportunity to rattle through a series of questions about the many phony scandals ginned up by his network over the previous months.

On the February 4 edition of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart defended Obama's combative response to some of O'Reilly's questions, noting that it's true that Fox News promotes and generates scandals for the sole purpose of undermining his presidency.

"That is exactly what Fox does every day," said Stewart. "With the exception of the one hour every two weeks where John Stossel exposes how homeless people are scamming the system."

Bill O'Reilly Suggests There's A "Downside" To A Female President, And Colbert Agrees: It's Shark Attacks

In late February, Bill O'Reilly joined a chorus of conservative media figures launching sexist attacks against Hillary Clinton, suggesting her gender would somehow disqualify her from serving as President of the United States. "There's got to be some downside to having a woman president, right?" asked O'Reilly.

Stephen Colbert agreed on the March 5 edition of The Colbert Report, satirically noting that the election of a female president like Clinton would almost inevitably spark a chain of global reactions culminating in an Afghan invasion of America, shark attacks and the complete demise of the nation.

 

Jon Stewart Tries To Understand Sean Hannity's Support For Law-Breaking Nevada Rancher Cliven Bundy

Right-wing media turned its attention to Nevada in April, when rancher Cliven Bundy orchestrated an armed stand-off with federal law enforcement officials trying to enforce millions of dollars in court judgments against him. Sean Hannity and others ran to the rancher's defense, holding him up as a champion against big government.

The Daily Show's Jon Stewart tried to wrap his head around the movement, noting that Bundy was in violation of the law and Hannity in particular purports to be a vigilant advocate for the rule of law -- when it suits him.

 

Stephen Colbert Covers The Bromance Between Rupert Murdoch And Rand Paul

Conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch joined aspiring Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) at the Kentucky Derby in May, prompting questions about the influence Murdoch's media empire -- including Fox News -- could play in boosting Paul's political aspirations.

On the May 6 edition of The Colbert Report, Colbert congratulated Paul on catching Murdoch's eye, but warned that the mogul might still be "playing the field" when it comes to 2016.

 

The Daily Show Throws Cold Water On Right-Wing Outrage Surrounding Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's Father's Beard

In June, the Obama administration negotiated the release of America's last remaining U.S. service member being held behind enemy lines -- Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Conservatives rushed to scandalize the event and smear Bergdahl as a deserter, going so far as to suggest his father's long beard made him look like a Muslim, and thus in their minds was more likely to share a hatred for America with his son.

On the June 9 edition of The Daily Show, Stewart lambasted Fox News' obsession with the beard, pointing out the obvious -- "Not all Muslims have beards, and not all people with beards are Muslims."

Colbert Explains: Obama's Vacations Show He's "Slacking Off At Destroying America"

In July, the influx of undocumented minors fleeing violence in Central America by way of the U.S.-Mexico border had grown into a humanitarian crisis. Right-wing media used the problem to criticize Obama anytime he was seen enjoying a leisure activity. One of the loudest complaints was that the president was photographed playing pool in Colorado when he should have been, according to conservatives, touring the Texas border.  

His actions were even worse than previously attempts to destroy America, Colbert explained on July 15. Obama was now "slacking off at destroying America." Colbert went on: "It's clear what's going on here. The president has senioritis."

Stewart Schools Fox News On Racism And Police Discrimination After Ferguson

On August 9, unarmed teenager Michael Brown was gunned down by a Ferguson, MO police officer. His death sparked outrage and protests across the country against police brutality and systemic discrimination against young, black men. Yet conservative media leaped to demonize Brown, blaming him for his death and staunchly denying the fact that law enforcement treats African-Americans with any less respect than they do whites.

Stewart called them out on The Daily Show, asking "Do you not understand that life in this country is inherently different for white people and black people?" Citing the fact that white Fox hosts expressed more outrage over the imaginary 'War on Christmas' than they have over the existence of racism, Stewart argued: "Imagine that if instead of having to suffer the indignity of [the War on Christmas], imagine that instead of that, on a pretty consistent basis, you can't get a cab, even though you're a neurosurgeon, because you're black."

Stewart Takes On The "Cognitive Dissonance" Of Latte Salute Outrage

Footage of Obama saluting Marines with a cup in his hand as he exited Marine One elicited horror from right-wing media, who feigned shock at the "disrespectful" and "degrading" salute. Hannity accused Obama of having "complete disrespect for the men in women in uniform" and asked, "Would President Bush ever do that?"

Of course, several photos exist of Bush saluting troops while cradling his Scottish Terrier, Barney, in his arms. Stewart blasted Hannity for his "cognitive dissonance" on September 25, answering his question about Bush: "Would President Bush ever salute the troops with a cup of coffee in his hand? And the answer is no. Because his hands were too filled with dog."

The Daily Show Exposes Conservative Media's Justification Of Street Harassment

Conservative media stood up as defenders of street harassment in October, building off their frequent denial of gender inequality to lecture women on being appreciative of catcalling and harassment. Fox's The Five, for instance, justified catcalls by arguing that men "mean it in a nice way" or in admiration of a woman's youth.

The Daily Show exposed the ridiculousness of such mentality on October 2, imaging a world where women gush over "competing in a beauty pageant on the way to work every day."

Colbert Confronts "Generalissimo Obama" Over His "Executive Amnesty" Immigration Reform

In November, Obama took executive action to prioritize the deportations of dangerous undocumented immigrants and grant certain other immigrants the right to stay and work in the U.S. The plan was met with cries of "tyranny" and "Emperor Obama" from right-wing media figures, who accused the president of issuing "executive amnesty."

Colbert mocked the hyperbole on the November 20 edition of The Colbert Report, playing Halloween horror music and declaring, "My great grandfather did not come here from Ireland to see this country overrun by immigrants":

 

The Daily Show On Eric Garner: "We Can't Breathe"

When Eric Garner was killed after Staten Island police placed him in a chokehold, medical examiners ruled his death a homicide. But in December, a grand jury declined to indict the officer who killed him, reigniting protests around the country over racial discrimination in law enforcement. Garner's last words, "I Can't Breathe," became a rallying cry for justice -- and a target for conservative media. Fox News went to great lengths to defend the police and criminalize Garner, accusing those who highlighted systemic racism as disrespectful to law enforcement.

Stewart went on the offensive following the grand jury decision, refuting conservative's refrain that the criminal justice system is applied equally to all races:

To celebrate roughly nine years of this podcast existing, Gerald has decided to do this episode in the style of a podcast he ACTUALLY enjoys: Atomic Trivia War 9000. Joining us for this episode is Paul ?White Daryl? Chapman from Otaku USA Magazine and The Greatest Movie EVER! podcast. Visit www.animeworldorder.com for full show notes and supplemental links.

Her lace glove hand holding a tightly folded McDonald's bag containing hot apple pie within for warmth, Luna Kobayashi is wandering on high heeled sneakers down a cold rainy day shotengai towards the JR station, frayed and torn pitari cold mask plastered across her mouth, medical bandage for a right eye, her ruined face a masterpiece framed by an imitation fur cheap down jacket hood. From her strange gait alone comes the rapid switch of weather which takes effect as soon as we get on the Shonan Shinjuku line at 4:27. We go from passing through mere clouds and drizzle to miles of cold hard stone above our heads, asphyxiated dead blue colors like the whole world under polar icewater now; nothing left to see except dying sun, fluorescent office light, and LEDs all blurred by moving train windows like this. And then she stops walking / stumbling long enough to finally lay down and die, last breaths clearly visible, but seen by no one, as steam mingling and twisting with evaporating mositure from the runied city below.

Right-wing media outlets manufactured phony outrage over President Obama's recent remark on ESPN Radio that he usually watches SportsCenter while working out in the morning. In 2007, President Bush similarly admitted to watching ESPN while working. 

In ESPN Interview, Obama Says He Watches SportsCenter In The Morning

Obama Says He Watches SportsCenter In Mornings During Workout. In a December 12 interview with ESPN Radio's "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," the president said that when he works out in the mornings, he usually watches SportsCenter rather than cable news. He added that the show "gave him a pretty good sense of the sports world because he doesn't really have time to sit down and watch entire games." [CNNMoney, 12/12/14] 

Right-Wing Media Manufacture Outrage At President Watching Sports

Washington Free Beacon Insinuated Obama May Watch SportsCenter Rather Than Attending Daily Briefing. In its post on Obama's SportsCenter comment, the Washington Free Beacon noted that a "report in October from the Government Accountability Institute noted Obama has missed 62.5 percent of his daily intelligence briefings during his presidency." A 2012 version of this report was debunked by The Washington Post's Dana Milbank, who noted that "Obama didn't 'attend' these meetings, because there were no meetings to attend: The oral briefings had been mostly replaced by daily exchanges in which Obama reads the materials and poses written questions and comments to intelligence officials." [Washington Free Beacon, 12/12/14; The Washington Post,9/12/12]

Breitbart.com: Obama "Divides His Attention During His Duty As Commander-In-Chief" By Watching SportsCenter. Breitbart.com claimed that when Obama spoke about his SportCenter habits, he admitted that he "divides his attention during his duty as commander-in-chief of reviewing those 'really fat briefing books' and watching sports." The article also quoted another part of the ESPN interview, in which Obama said: "There are times I will admit at night when I've got a really fat briefing book where I might have the game on with the sound on." [Breitbart.com, 12/12/14] 

The Daily Caller: Is Obama's Daily Briefing SportsCenter? In a post titled "Is Obama's Presidential Daily Briefing ESPN's 'SportsCenter'?", the Daily Caller criticized Obama's comments:

Considering he has a staff of thousands who are supposed to inform him of what is happening within his own government and they clearly aren't, it might be time for him to switch the TV from SportsCenter to actual news. [The Daily Caller, 12/15/14] 

Fox Nation Hypes SportsCenter Story. Fox Nation promoted the Washington Free Beacon's SportsCenter story on Twitter and on its website:

Obama: 'I Spend Most Of My Time Watching ESPN In The Morning' http://t.co/87Bh1GN3tj

-- Fox Nation (@foxnation) December 15, 2014

[Fox Nation, 12/15/14; Twitter.com, 12/15/14] 

President Bush Also Watched ESPN While Working

Bush: "I Watch Baseball Tonight." In a 2007 interview with ESPN, President Bush said that he watched the network's Baseball Tonight, and that sometimes he would be "working on a speech and there'll be a game in the back." [via YouTube, 7/16/07] 

If you missed the weekend tweets or the RSS feed updating or w/e, don’t forgot that Joel and I ended up on Greatest Movie Ever in the first time for a long time to talk about–the best anime series in the world bar none these are literally my favorite movies of all time I own five copies of each–Appleseed.

by Paul O’Brien

Truth be told, I love Mick Foley. He launched my Blood Red Turns Dollar Green series when he didn’t have to, he was my favourite wrestler growing up — hell, he even let me ‘work the mic, brother’ with him in Northern Ireland one night.

As far as human beings go, he is top drawer.

So truth continuing to be told, that’s why I felt so bad that I didn’t want to watch I am Santa Claus. I was delighted to see Mick so ‘into’ the whole Santa thing. For me it was like any lifestyle choice, as long as it made him happy and he was harming no-one else — best of luck to him. 

I just wasn’t that into it. 

But the santa thing just grew and grew. So much so, I thought it scuffed an otherwise perfect ending to his HOF speech, I thought it took up too much of his Twitter time. I damn near started to hate the large shadow it was casting!

Until I saw the reason why Mick had Santa Claus everywhere. 

I didn’t really expect I am Santa Claus to hit me like it did. The loneliness, the laughs, the searching, the tenderness and love, the sadness, the pity, the celebration. This documentary weaves from one Santa to other, one evolving story to another, from one white bearded person to another. All of them looking similar, all of them completely different. 

You could imagine wrestling fans being easily interested in sub-cultures; I am Santa Claus nestles into one of the most fascinating sub-cultures I’ve ever seen — The Santa Claus phenomenon. 

The camera stays tight on the stories of primarily four men who are mixed up in huge sprawling business/vocation of being Santa Claus. In the documentary, director Tommy Avallone follows all four gentlemen through the build up to their magical time of year. Sometimes it felt like the cuts between stories moved too quickly and I didn’t have time to digest the funny or poignant moment that just happened, but overall this is skilfully handled. 

Some of the santa’s have seen better times, some are in love, some are just working the day job like you and me. But all of them have a reason to want to transform themselves. If even just for a few weeks of the year. And it’s that reason, that question that drives the heart of the story.

This is a funny, touching piece that will keep you engaged from start to finish. It may even have the most affecting love story in all of 2014 film in there too.

So truth be told, I didn’t have a clue what Mick was talking about all year. I didn’t get why he was so ‘into it.’

Now I know, and you should too.

I am Santa Claus is on Netflix now.  

Paul O’Brien is the author of Blood Red Turns Dollar Green, the crime wrestling trilogy set in old territory days.

"Foxcatcher," the movie based on the lives of Olympic gold medal winning wrestlers Dave and Mark Schultz, and their insane benefactor John DuPont, received three Golden Globe nominations today.  The nominations were for Best Picture, Best Actor (Steve Carell) and Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo).  

SoulCalibur: Lost Swords players can look forward to another roster addition soon, because Cassandra is next up for Bandai Namco's free-to-play fighter.

 

 

While you wait for her, you can always enjoy a very SoulCalibur: Lost Swords Christmas!

 

Check out the Happy Christmas Campaign for SOULCALIBUR Lost Swords! #soulcalibur #SCLS pic.twitter.com/vB6TgU7wEu

— SOULCALIBUR_official (@hoshino_calibur) December 6, 2014

 

Via Siliconera

 

-------

Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. He also likes to draw comics. His blog can be found at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox.

Right-wing media are relying on a litany of myths to defend the use of torture on terrorism suspects, responding to the findings of a Senate investigation on the practice by pretending "torture isn't torture" and improperly crediting brutal interrogation for information that led to the capture of Osama bin Laden.

MYTH: Torture Produced Intelligence That Led To Bin Laden

MYTH: Release Of Torture Report Is Political, Timed To Distract From Other Issues

MYTH: "Torture Isn't Torture"

Senate Report Details CIA's Use Of Torture On Terrorism Suspects

Senate Intelligence Committee Released Report On CIA Torture Techniques. On December 9, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a 528-page executive summary of a report on the CIA's interrogation of terrorism suspects at secret prison sites. The full report, over 6,000 pages long, took five years to produce and drew on over six million CIA documents. [The Washington Post, 12/9/14]

MYTH: Torture Produced Intelligence That Led To Bin Laden

Karl Rove: "These Techniques Helped Make America Safe By Helping Us Kill Osama Bin Laden." On the December 8 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, former adviser to President George W. Bush and Fox contributor Karl Rove claimed that Osama bin Laden was located and killed because of intelligence procured through "these techniques":

ROVE: We know publicly about one example of how these techniques helped make America safe -- by helping us kill Osama bin Laden. You may remember, what happened is, is that two interrogators, a guy was swept up, caught on the battlefield, low level operative. They interrogated him. They then went to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Zubaydah and said, 'Is this guy important?' And they went then to Mike Hayden, then director of the CIA, and said, 'Director Hayden, KSM and Zubaydah say these people, this guy is unimportant, but from our interrogations of these guys over the years, we believe they're hiding something. We think this guy is important.' And he becomes the guy that when they trace him and trace his relationships and trace where he goes, bring us to Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad and eventually to Osama bin Laden's death. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 12/8/14]

Fox Host Eric Bolling: Aggressive Interrogation "Got Some Intel That Led To The Capture Of Osama Bin Laden." On the December 8 edition of Fox News' The Five, co-host Eric Bolling argued that the CIA's use of torture produced intelligence that led to the capture of Osama bin Laden:

BOLLING: I celebrate what the CIA did in the aftermath of 9-11. Three thousand people lost their lives downtown. We were angry. America was on our heels, we didn't know what to do, and the CIA came forward, and they aggressively interrogated -- legally -- aggressively interrogated some bad guys. And they got some intel that led to the capture of Osama bin Laden. Why are we apologizing for it? [Fox News, The Five, 12/8/14]

Fox Host Elisabeth Hasselbeck: The "Success Of The Interrogation Program" Includes Finding Bin Laden's Courier. On the December 9 edition of Fox & Friends, co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck credited torture techniques with locating bin Laden's courier:

HASSELBECK: When you look at the success of the interrogation program here, and the outline which just dictates here the information that was gleaned from this process, at a time where our national security was in fact attacked, that our nation was attacked, moving forward, this information was valuable. KSM generated more than 2,000 intel reports, that's the mastermind behind 9-11. It led to bin Laden's courier, finding al Kuwaiti. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 12/9/14]

FACT: Report Determined Torture Did Not Produce Vital Intelligence That Led To Capture Of Bin Laden 

Vital Intelligence Leading To Bin Laden Was Obtained Without Torture. The Senate report determined that "the most valuable information on Osama bin Laden was obtained outside of enhanced interrogation techniques or prior to detainees even being held by the CIA," as ABC News explained:

The report released today by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence concluded that the most valuable information on Osama bin Laden was obtained outside of enhanced interrogation techniques or prior to detainees even being held by the CIA.

Several detainees provided information about Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, bin Laden's courier, which led to the raid that killed him. According to the report, the information was obtained outside the enhanced interrogation techniques program.

"While CIA detainees eventually did provide some information on Abu Ahmad al-Kuwaiti beginning in the spring of 2003, the majority of the accurate intelligence acquired on Abu Ahmad al-Kuwaiti was collected outside of the CIA's Detention and Interrogation Program," according to the report. [ABC News, 12/9/14]

Four Experienced Interrogators: Torture "Almost Certainly Prolonged the Hunt" For Bin Laden. In 2011, former interrogators Matthew Alexander (using a pseudonym), U.S. Army intelligence officer Col. (Ret.) Stuart Herrington, former FBI special agent Joe Navarro, and military intelligence veteran Ken Robinson issued a press release explaining that the CIA's use of torture "almost certainly prolonged the hunt for Bin Laden":

The use of waterboarding and other so-called "enhanced" interrogation techniques almost certainly prolonged the hunt for Bin Laden and complicated the jobs of professional U.S. interrogators who were trying to develop useful information from unwilling sources like Khalid Sheik Muhammed.

Reports say that Khalid Sheik Muhammed and Abu Faraq al-Libi did not divulge the nom de guerre of a courier during torture, but rather several months later, when they were questioned by interrogators who did not use abusive techniques.

This is not surprising. Our experience is that torture is a poor way to develop useful, accurate information.

We know from experience that it is very difficult to elicit information from a detainee who has been abused. The abuse often only strengthens their resolve and makes it that much harder for an interrogator to find a way to elicit useful information. [Huffington Post, 5/5/11]

MYTH: Release Of Torture Report Is Political, Timed To Distract From Other Issues

Fox Host Andrea Tantaros: Torture Report Is "About Politics," Released To Distract From Obamacare. On the December 9 edition of Outnumbered, Fox News host Andrea Tantaros claimed that the Senate report was being released for political reasons, in an effort to distract the nation from Obamacare: 

TANTAROS: Why are we putting out this memo? We've had this discussion. We've had this debate. And it's not about democracy now. No, no. It's about politics. It's about democrats being so fundamentally lost as a party, Harris, they have to return to an old playbook. The plays that they ran right when Obama got into office, trying to prosecute CIA officials for these terror tactics. And that same playbook, that they feel got them the House of Representatives back even under Tom Delay's electoral map. They were screaming about this. It's how they were winning elections. They have nothing else to talk about and they don't want to talk about Gruber, or health care, or the IRS, or anything else. [Fox News, Outnumbered, 12/9/14]

Fox's National Security Analyst: Release Of Torture Report Was Likely "Completely Political."  On Happening Now on December 9, network national security analyst KT McFarland asked, "Why make the report public now?" She surmised the Senate's motivation "was completely political," and wondered, "Are the Democrats in the Senate -- they've been evicted from the House. Are they just trashing the place before they leave?" [Fox News, Happening Now, 12/9/14]

Rush Limbaugh: Torture Report Was Released "By Design" To Dwarf Hearing On Obamacare. On the December 9 edition of his radio program, Rush Limbaugh lamented the fact that the torture report was released the same day as a congressional hearing on health care reform. Rush complained that the Obamacare hearing was "dwarfed" by "what is happening with the release of how rotten and horrible this stinking country was when George Bush was president."  [Premiere Radio Networks, The Rush Limbaugh Show, 12/9/14]

FACT: Senate Voted Months Ago To Release Report 

NY Times: Senate Voted In April To Declassify Portion Of Report, Which Has Taken Five Years To Produce. As the Times explained, the Senate's torture report has been planned for declassification since April:

The long-delayed report, which took five years to produce and is based on more than six million internal agency documents, is a sweeping indictment of the C.I.A.'s operation and oversight of a program carried out by agency officials and contractors in secret prisons around the world in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It also provides a macabre accounting of some of the grisliest techniques that the C.I.A. used to torture and imprison terrorism suspects.

[...]

The entire report is more than 6,000 pages long, but the committee voted in April to declassify only its 524-page executive summary and a rebuttal by Republican members of the committee. The investigation was conducted by staff members working for Democratic senators on the committee. [The New York Times, 12/9/14]

Member Of Senate Intel Committee: Report Was Released Now Because We Just Got The Final Version Back From The Administration. Appearing on CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper on December 9, Sen. Angus King (I-ME) explained that the torture report was approved by a bipartisan vote in the Senate committee, and though it has been completed for nearly two years, the committee just now received the final version back from the CIA and the Obama administration:

SEN. KING: This report was completed almost two years ago. It was given to the CIA for their response and then was given to the White House last May. And by the way, all this business about this being entirely partisan -- the vote to approve the report was 11-3. It was a bipartisan vote. And then it's been since last May to now to finally get all the redactions and national security concerns taken care of. So why is it -- why is the timing now? Because we just had the final version back from the administration about four days ago. [CNN, The Lead, 12/9/14]

MYTH: "Torture Isn't Torture"

Fox's Jesse Watters: "So We Humiliated A Few Terrorists. No One Cares." On Outnumbered, Fox News correspondent Jesse Watters said of the response to the report, "So we roughed up a few of them. So we humiliated a few terrorists. No one cares." He followed up saying, "It's not torture." [Fox News, Outnumbered, 12/9/14]

Limbaugh: "Torture Isn't Torture." On his radio program, Limbaugh argued that "the left" is redefining language to present enhanced interrogation as torture:

LIMBAUGH: The demonization of the CIA and their use of waterboarding is a textbook example of how the media and the rest of the Democrat party establish a lie and repeat it until it becomes a fact. I'm going to tell you -- torture isn't torture. A government shutdown is not a government shutdown. Immigration reform isn't immigration reform. We're losing the language. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Rush Limbaugh Show, 12/9/14]

Laura Ingraham: Better For The CIA To "Err On The Side Of Being A Little Too Aggressive." During her December 9 radio show, Fox News contributor and ABC News contributor Laura Ingraham justified the use of torture by the CIA by asking, "Did the CIA behead anyone? Did they?" She went on, "Perhaps there were some excesses. Perhaps there were some abuses. But, my goodness. I would rather have them err on the side of being a little too aggressive than be forced into, as Michael Hayden said, this a perpetual position of timidity." [Courtside Entertainment Group, The Laura Ingraham Show, 12/9/14]

FACT: Torture Was "More Brutal And Employed More Extensively" Than Previously Acknowledged

NY Times: "C.I.A.'s Interrogation Techniques Were More Brutal and Employed More Extensively" Than CIA Portrayed. The Times described how the report found that the CIA's "interrogation techniques were more brutal and employed more extensively than the agency portrayed." The torture techniques used against detainees included "sleep deprivation up to a week" and "near drowning":

The report describes extensive waterboarding as a "series of near drownings" and suggests that more prisoners were subjected to waterboarding than the three prisoners the C.I.A. has acknowledged in the past. The report also describes detainees being subjected to sleep deprivation for up to a week, medically unnecessary "rectal feeding" and death threats. Conditions at one prison, described by a clandestine officer as a "dungeon," were blamed for the death of a detainee, and the harsh techniques were described as leading to "psychological and behavioral issues, including hallucinations, paranoia, insomnia, and attempts at self-harm and self-mutilation." [The New York Times, 12/9/14]

Report Detailed How Detainees Were Subjected To Freezing Temperatures, Waterboarding, "Rectal Feeding." The Daily Beast outlined some of the most brutal torture techniques detainees were subjected to as detailed by Senate report:

Interrogations that lasted for days on end. Detainees forced to stand on broken legs, or go 180 hours in a row without sleep. A prison so cold, one suspect essentially froze to death.

[...]

At least five detainees were subjected to "rectal feeding" or "rectal hydration," without any documented medical need. "While IV infusion is safe and effective," one officer wrote, rectal hydration could be used as a form of behavior control. [The Daily Beast, 12/9/14]

Report Found That Actual Practices "Often Went Far Beyond" Those Approved By Department Of Justice. As Politico reported, the interrogation techniques laid out in the torture report frequently "went far beyond" what had been approved by the Department of Justice:

The congressional review also says that the CIA's actual tactics often went far beyond the terms laid out in Justice Department legal opinions, subjecting detainees to prolonged interrogation under a combination of harsh techniques and ignoring safeguards set forth in the legal memos such as ensuring that interrogators were well-trained and had high-level approvals before using the unusually aggressive tactics. [Politico, 12/9/14]

The magazine Comic Zenon has recently announced a special Fist of the North Star-themed curry based on Souther, the strongest of the various practitioners of Nanto Seiken, the Sacred Fist of the Southern Cross. Souther, who uses the “Nanto Houou Ken” or “Southern Cross Phoenix Fist” style, is known for fighting without stances, having his heart on the right side of his body instead of his left, using child slave labor, and riding a three-wheeled motorcycle with a throne on top (sometimes affectionately called a “thronercycle”).

More specifically, the curry is based on the recent parody manga of Fist of the North Star titled Fist of the North Star: Strawberry Flavor. Fist of the North Star is considered one of the most significant, influential, and popular shounen manga series of all time, making it a prime target for parodies both official and otherwise. In this case, Souther is specifically “Supervising Director Souther.”

Fans of Souther and Fist of the North Star will notice that the pyramid shape of the rice is a direct reference to the character. In the original manga, Souther uses his child slaves to build a pyramid in honor of his dead master, which then becomes the site of his and Kenshiro’s final battle.

The curry is available at Cafe Zenon in Tokyo and Kichijouji until January 15th. Other foods include Supervising Director Souther’s Strawberry Sweets and Hyui’s Blue Hawaii Lassi. Stickers, metal badges, and other products are also available.

President Obama stopped by The Colbert Report this Monday evening just as Colbert was about to begin his "The Word" segment and promptly took over the show with his own version, "The Decree."

Following Colbert's complaints about how "out of control" the president has been since the Republicans won the midterm elections with his executive order on immigration, signing the climate change accord with China, pushing the FCC to adopt Net Neutrality rules, and wanting to put camera on our cops, Colbert complained that the worst thing the president was doing was trying to "give us all health care again."

After explaining that it's still open enrollment season and that everyone is still free to go "select whichever death panel you'd prefer to have smother you when you're asleep" and telling the audience not to fall for it, Colbert let everyone know who has the real power to influence the country.

COLBERT: Do not fall for it or anything this guy says. He can't make things happen. The people with the real power in this country are pundits like me and Papa Bear. [...]

Oh yeah. O'Reilly clearly has the more power than the president. I mean, when's the last time Obama sold self-lubricating catheter's? The point is... here's the point folks. I could be a politician, like that. But a politician could never do my job. Which is why everyone should listen to my cure for Obamacare, and that brings us to tonight's Word...