Bigots.

Book on Gay Princes Is Not For Kids, N.C. Panel Says (washingtonpost.com): " A children's book about a prince whose true love turns out to be another prince will be available only to adults in an elementary school's library, a panel decided.


The book, 'King & King,' will be locked up at Freeman Elementary School in response to some parents' complaints, a school committee ruled Friday in an 8 to 3 vote.


Michael and Tonya Hartsell, who initially complained after their first-grader brought home the book, said the decision satisfies them.


In the book, the single Prince Bertie dismisses a line of eligible princesses before falling for Prince Lee. The book's final page shows the two princes kissing with a red heart covering their lips."

Frank Rich on the lying liars who lie for the Bush Administration.

Frank Rich: Operation Iraqi Infoganda: "The 'news' of the war included its fictionalized Rambo, Pfc. Jessica Lynch, and its fictionalized conclusion, the 'Mission Accomplished' celebration led by the president on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. (Mr. Bush said that the premature victory banner was the handiwork of the ship's crew when in fact it was the product of the White House scenic shop.) But for all that fake news, we still don't know such real news as how many Iraqi civilians were killed as we gave them their freedom. We are still shielded from images of American casualties, before or after they are placed in coffins.

Now that the breakdown in pre-9/11 security is threatening to dominate the real news, the administration is working overtime to overwhelm it with its latest, thematically related fake story line. Time magazine reports that employees of the Department of Homeland Security have been given the goal of providing the president 'with one homeland-security photo-op a month.' The Associated Press reports that the department is also hiring a 'liaison to the entertainment industry' — with a salary as high as $136,000, plus benefits — 'to make sure that dramatic portrayals of it are as accurate as possible.' (The deadline for applications, do note, is tomorrow.) Of course 'accurate' in that job description should be read as 'inaccurate,' since the liaison's real task, like that of the intrepid reporter Karen Ryan, will be to make sure that any actual news of our homeland security's many holes is kept on the q.t. According to E! entertainment news, we can even expect a new TV show, 'D.H.S. — the Series,' to which both Mr. Bush and Tom Ridge will contribute endorsements and sound bites.

When it comes to homeland security, you can be sure that the administration's faux news will always be good news — though this is the one story in which the real news can sometimes become just too intrusive to ignore.
"

Move On does it again.

Everyone should immediately go watch this amazing ad about Rummy's lies. Subtle and powerful.

Why you don't need to read Jayson Blair's book.

Slate provides a precis of Burning Down My Masters' House. But all you really need to read is the following sentence: "Call her by any name: Star-Spangled Powder, the All-American drug, blow, bouncing powder, or Carrie—cocaine was the woman for me." A hack like this used to work for The New York Times?

News From The Associated Press: " John Kerry on Sunday accused President Bush of 'stonewalling' separate inquiries into the events leading up to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacks, as well as into the intelligence that suggested Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.


Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, endorsed complaints by some members of a federal commission investigating the attacks that Bush was resisting their efforts to get documents and question witnesses.


'Why is this administration stonewalling and resisting the investigation into what happened and why we had the greatest security failure in the history of our country?' Kerry said at a hastily arranged news conference.


'The American people deserve an answer now,' Kerry said. 'The immediate instinct of the Republicans and this administration was to shut it down.'"

FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News: "'My days here are numbered because I dared to speak out against the Bush administration and say that the religious agenda of George W. Bush concerning stem cell research and gay marriage is wrong,' Stern continued. 'And that what he is doing with the FCC is pushing this religious agenda. And also the fact that the guy takes more vacation than any President ever. It's time for him to leave. Having said that pushed me off the air in six markets.'

Stern says the end game of him being thrown off the air is already set, predicting 'the FCC in a matter of weeks will come out with a trumped up list of things I said that they find offensive that Infinity will have to fire me.' Later in the show Stern said he was 'tempted to shut my mouth about all of it, because it will go away.' He then added 'I don't think we can stop it, short of me calling up President Bush and saying 'Look man, I'm going to support you, so don't do this.''"

What is wrong with these people?

HoustonChronicle.com - Bush brother Neil marries in Houston: "Bush brother Neil marries in Houston
By SHELBY HODGE
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

Presidential brother Neil Bush -- putting aside remnants of a scandalous divorce, paternity questions and a scorned ex-wife -- married Maria Andrews Saturday night in the Memorial-area mansion of Rania and Jamal Daniel, longtime Bush family friends.

Close to 150 guests joined the newlyweds after a small family ceremony that included former President George Bush and Barbara Bush, parents of the groom. President George W. Bush and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush did not attend.

Standing with their father for the nuptials were Pierce, 17, and Ashley, 14. His eldest daughter, model and Princeton University student Lauren, did not attend.

Joining Andrews in the ceremony were her two older children, Elizabeth, 12, and Pace Andrews, 10.

The cocktail-attire evening included a seated dinner and dancing.

Neil Bush met Andrews several years ago when she was working as a volunteer in Barbara Bush's Houston office. They became engaged in December during a romantic dinner in a French chateau.
"