News Nuggets 338

A Kangaroo as a therapy animal - from AOL News. See the Kangaroo Nugget below.

Church Leaders Are Spinning Their Wheels (Maureen P. Turlish) from National Catholic Reporter

"Still church leaders are spinning their wheels trying to place blame on the messengers rather than on themselves and on a system that has become so corrupted that it put the protection of individual sexual predators along with an institution's reputation before the protection of the most vulnerable of its members, the children."

Manufacturing Numbers Continue to Bounce Back from Politics Daily

"A measure of U.S. manufacturing activity grew for the ninth straight month in April, and at its fastest rate in nearly six years, according to a report released Monday. "

How Starving Governments Get Fat (Steve Chapman) from the Washington Examiner

"When they began, this approach seemed worth a try. But 30 years later, confirmation is hard to find. Like Reagan, George W. Bush reduced income tax rates. In spite of that, inflation-adjusted federal outlays this year are 60 percent higher than they were the year Bush became president. ... New studies from economists at opposite ends of the political spectrum leave little doubt that even on half-rations, the beast never fails to feast."

And is any player in the GOP going to pay any attention to these studies. Answer: no.

Pelosi Makes History, and Enemies, as an Effective Speaker from the Washington Post

"Under the Capitol dome, Pelosi is a towering figure, perhaps even a historic one. Capped by her central role in passing the landmark health-care bill in March, the California Democrat, 70, has transformed herself from the caricature of a millionaire liberal with impeccable fashion taste into a speaker on par with the revered Sam Rayburn, according to historians, pollsters and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle."

On Defensive, BP Readies Dome to Contain Spill from the New York Times

"Crews were building a containment dome, a 4-story, 70-ton structure that the company plans to lower into place over one of the three leaks to catch the escaping oil and allow it to be pumped to the surface."

Forget Offshore Drilling Until We Get Some Answers (William Galston) from the New Republic

"After the Bush administration took office, the MMS became a cesspool of corruption and conflicts of interest. In September 2008, Earl Devaney, Interior’s Inspector General, delivered a report to Secretary Dirk Kempthorne that has to be read to be believed. One section, headlined “A Culture of Ethical Failure,” documented the belief among numerous MMS staff that they were “exempt from the rules that govern all other employees of the Federal Government.”"

Through Oil-Fouled Water, Big Government Looks Better and Better (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post

"There is something exquisite about the moment when a conservative decides he needs more government in his life. About 10:30 Monday morning, Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), an ardent foe of big government, posted a blog item on his campaign Web site about the huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. ... He thinks it would be a better arrangement if "federal and state officials" would do the dirty work of "protecting and cleaning up the coast" instead of BP."

Perry: Oil Spill May be "Act of God" from Politico

"The Republican governor, speaking at the Chamber of Commerce in Washington, warned against a “a knee-jerk reaction” to the spill..."

What a dope. Yes -- it's an act of God, just not the accidental kind. As I said yesterday, this is the "Old Testament" kind where the old boy gets really mad!

Women's Court from Newsweek

"President Obama knows he can't reshape the Supreme Court ideologically, but he can change its gender balance."

Normally I avoid these kind of "who's going to be on the court" guessing game articles -- but this one seems to more interesting than most.

Border Security Isn't the Problem (Eugene Robinson) from the Washington Post

"The notion that the first thing to do is "secure the border" between the United States and Mexico -- and only then worry about comprehensive immigration reform -- falls somewhere between hopeful fantasy and cynical cop-out. It's a good sound bite but would be a ridiculous policy."

The Authors of Arizona's Immigration Law Retreat (Michael Gerson) from the Washington Post

"The conservative writers who have uncritically supported the Arizona law share something as well: in general, they have never had to appeal to a voter, much less a Hispanic voter, in their lives. They have no direct responsibility for the political wreckage they leave behind. In fact, they tend to view indifference to political and demographic reality as a kind of purity test. But unlike, say, a conservative magazine or blog, it is the purpose of a political party to win majorities within the broad bounds of its convictions."

Surprisingly, our on-the-money pundit of the day!! Gerson hasn't had a decent nugget in years ... but this is well worth checking out! Another aspect to this controversy that Gerson touches on needs elaboration: even with these changes, this train has already left the station.

Fear of Immigrants (Peter Beinart) from the Daily Beast

"The right’s anxiety about African-Americans has been replaced by anxiety about immigrants. Peter Beinart on how Arizona’s new law has ignited the civil-rights struggle for a new century."

Suspect Thy Neighbor (Editorial) from the Washington Post

"Arizona's new and far-reaching immigration law is bad on a lot of levels, including economic, social and legal , but it is also profoundly corrosive from a moral standpoint."

Dems Firing Up the Populist Brand from Congressional Quarterly

"To revive their flagging prospects for the midterm election, Westen advised that March afternoon, Democrats ought to start by pushing to tighten the regulatory reins on Wall Street — an effort that should have started a year earlier, he said, right after enactment of the $787 billion economic stimulus package. Many senators gave the psychologist a round of applause. But more important, they have started taking his advice, while also listening to a group of better-known Democratic operatives who have been saying much the same thing. "

History's Mad Hatters: The Strange Evolution of Tea Party Populism from Mother Jones Magazine

Today's Tea Party movement, like so many of its "populist" predecessors, is a house of contradiction, a bewildering network of crosscutting political emotions, ideas, and institutions. What connects it powerfully to a populist past stretching all the way back to Boston Harbor is, however, a sense of violation: "Don't Tread on Me."

Race and the Tea Party: Who's Right? (Christopher Parker) from Salon

"White Tea Party supporters blame black disadvantage on not working hard enough, not the legacy of discrimination"

Newt Gingrich, Provocateur in Chief (Richard Cohen) from the Washington Post

"He has a doctorate in the social sciences and taught briefly at the college level. He has been married three times, divorced twice and confessed to an extramarital affair. He has never worked for a profit-making organization, never served in the military and lives in one of Washington's poshest suburbs. He is the very personification of his much-reviled "cultural elite." He is Newt Gingrich, and he is out to get himself."

BOOK NUGGET!!

The Banality of Good (Roger Cohen) from the New York Times

"With what measure of fear, denial, calculation, conscience and contempt did neighbors who had proved their Aryan stock to Hitler’s butchers make their accommodations with this Jewish exodus? How good did the schnapps taste and how effectively did it wash down the shame? Now I know. Thanks to Hans Fallada’s extraordinary “Every Man Dies Alone,” just published in the United States more than 60 years after it first appeared in Germany, I know."

KANGAROO NUGGET!!

Kangaroo Jumps at Chance to Be Therapy Animal from AOL News

"Currently, the staff 'roo is Theodore, and he has a strict job description, according to Snow. "Theodore's job is to be loved," she said. "The patients feed him, and he lays in their arms. Baby kangaroos are very affectionate." He also serves as an icebreaker for children who visit the facility."

So long as they're safe --what a great idea!