“Justice Dept. proposes lying, hiding existence of records under new FOIA rule”: A proposed revision to Freedom of Information Act rules would allow federal agencies to lie to citizens and reporters seeking certain records, telling them the records don’t exist. The Justice Department has proposed the change as part of a large revision of FOIA rules for federal agencies. Specifically, the rule would direct government agencies who are denying a

And why wouldn’t they? These public sector union gigs are tits! From the Chicago Tribune: Two lobbyists with no prior teaching experience were allowed to count their years as union employees toward a state teacher pension once they served a single day of subbing in 2007, a Tribune/WGN-TV investigation has found. Steven Preckwinkle, the political director for the Illinois Federation of Teachers, and fellow union lobbyist David Piccioli were the

Do as I say, not as I-shovel-so-many-hot-wings-and-fried-Snicker’s-bars-into-my-face-that-should-I-add-in-a-few-Chinese-fire-peppers-chances-are-I-could-shit-you-out-an-order-or-General-Tsao’s-chicken-and-a-chocolate-dessert-parfait. Recognize.

So asks the WaPo’s Richard Cohen, who likes to use his own Judaism as a badge of moral authority on such matters. And try as he might, Cohen can’t find even a hint of anti-semitism — writing off the very idea as a “reprehensible” “right wing” plot to discredit the protests. But then, I think I figured out Cohen’s journalistic failing: he was out looking for paper mache renderings of

Good lord, make it stop. Like, now. Seriously. WE CAN’T WAIT!

And the absolute last time I ever pack a vibrator for an international flight, I can tell you that. (h/t afs)

At the American Spectator, W. James Antle III, responding to Ross Douthat’s suggestion that the TEA Party will be to blame for a Romney nomination, offers this reminder: For the past 24 years, conservatives have failed to unite behind a single candidate, splitting their votes between the frontrunner and various right-wing alternatives who appealed to particular subsets of the conservative movement. Candidates beloved by the movement have failed to catch

Evidently, Islam stands for social justice first and foremost. Gays, women, Jews, Christians, and Buddhists were mostly unavailable for comment.

Shampoo, rinse, repeat: President Barack Obama’s latest proposal to help struggling homeowners—to be followed soon by a student debt initiative—isn’t likely to be much more successful than previous efforts. An analysis by MF Global’s Washington Research Group estimates the plan to make it easier for homeowners to refinance their mortgages will target just “600,000 to 1 million more refinancings of underwater borrowers. … For those who get HARP refinancings, this

It’s easy if you have an extra $16K to spend on a dead dude’s tooth. I guess.