I think this image of a TSA full body scan expresses how many have many of us have felt this year as a nation and as an individual; frozen, exposed, and helpless. Tonight I plan to plunge a dagger into 2009's heart, drink its blood, gain its strength, and dance on its grave. You?

Meanwhile in Tehran...

With all the holiday/healthcare/terror distractions of the past week, it's understandable to have overlooked the fresh riots in Tehran. Fortunately there is a deluge of home made video coming out of Iran, even though there are reports that the government there has shut down the internet. Here's some samples of what made it out:



It seems this protest took the government by suprise, and without the Basij (roving bands of lawless political thugs ) the riot police found themselves cornered and out numbered:



According to the translation on youtube the riot cops beg for forgiveness while the protesters harange them for the murders of ten protesters earlier in the day. While the Iranian regime's response will no doubt be monsterous and brutal, it's momentarily comforting to see that the reform movement can still muster thousands of bodies for a protest in a way that takes the regime by suprise.



This photo of a protester chasing a riot policeman with his own baton I thought was particularly meaningful, and can be found here along with 161 similar pics.

Christmas thwarted by underwear bomber, political correctness, and unionization?

After the close call we had in Detroit on Christmas day, we were treated to a hysterical brainstorming of precautions we now must take in order to fly safely. This segment on Fox and Friends came up with voyeuristic body scanners and segregated lines for Muslims:



The technology Christine Fair mentioned costs millions of dollars and allows security to seen essentially every detail beyond your clothes all they way to your bones, which evidently includes your junk, something a BBC reporter thankfully covered up in this report on the subject.

That was pretty much all Fair could get out before the requisite screaming match ensued, with conservative talk show host Mike Gallagher flogging the PC bogeyman and calling for segregated lines for Muslims. He wasn't the only one pushing that noise on Fox of course:



The last point made by the guest opposite Gallagher is important; the would be underwear bomber was on a no fly list, his father had warned the U.S. embassy of him, he bought a one way ticket with cash, and had no luggage. By way of all those factors he should have never been on that plane, and someone needs to be held accountable. But piling all the Muslims into a segregated line to be strip searched one by one isn't only morally reprehensible, but logistically prohibitive, as Christine Fair attempted to point out in the clip before.

Senator Jim DeMint, on the other hand, sees another threat to our airport security; collective bargaining:



Apparently to many personalities on television a failed terrorist attack is nothing more than an opportunity to carp on a totally unrelated issue. I for one sleep better at night knowing intelligent and moral minds like that of Jim DeMint are hard at work keeping us safe.

Sen. Ben Nelson: ALL YOUR UTERUS ARE BELONG TO ME.

I almost died laughing when I caught this post on Firedoglake:



For those not geeky enough to get the reference, here's an explanation.

But in all seriousness, the compromise that got Senator Ben Nelson to support the healthcare reform bill may affect the availability of abortions in conservative states:

Mr. Reid’s amendment includes tighter restrictions on insurance coverage for abortions sought by Mr. Nelson. Health insurance plans would not be required or forbidden to cover abortions, but states could prohibit the coverage of abortions by plans that are offered for sale through new government-regulated marketplaces.

Meaning states with conservative governments can prevent this reform from reaching those who need it most; their own constituents.

Merry Christmas Ginger Ninjas!

Being quasi ginger myself (facial hair only) I think this off color Christmas card is hilarious:

A LEADING UK supermarket chain has withdrawn a Christmas card that poked fun at "gingers'' after claims of discrimination.

Davinia Phillips, a mum of three flame-haired children, saw red when she came across a card which stated: "Santa loves all kids. Even ginger ones.''

She lodged a complaint with the store and went public to defend redheads everywhere against "gingerism''.

"I kept thinking is it me because I've got ginger kids and I'm a bit over-reactive mother?'' she told BBC television.

"But everybody I've spoken to said if that had of been about an obese child, or a child with glasses, or a child with braces, or a coloured child, then there would be a massive uproar.''

Ms Phillips, 30, from York, added that a few weeks ago her children returned from school upset because they had been called "ginger ninjas''.

People in the UK seem to have a fixation on the gingers; here's a hilarious bit by Catherine Tate that takes it to the next level:

Hell hath no fury like a Lieberman's scorn.

I think this cartoon from Tom Tomorrow pretty much sums up what Joe Lieberman has been up to this week.

The Daily Show pops Beck's gold bubble.

I wrote about this last month; opportunistic gold brokers simultaneously advertising to buy and sell gold during programs that hype economic collapse and social unrest. It turns out Glenn Beck is up to his eyeballs in this scam; while he is probably the most outlandish prophet of doom and gloom on television, he's also a paid spokesperson for Goldline.com:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Beck - Not So Mellow Gold
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

An obvious conflict of interest, but this is one of the career perks for professional bamboozlers like Beck. If he can dupe people into sinking their nest egg into a commodity that is close to it's highest price in history, that's only morally reprehensible, not illegal. The only blow back on him would be a hit to his credibility, something Beck parted with long ago.