dennisfa

Rest In Peace - dennisfa from Bookmarklet

"Newly released documents trace the cardinal's frustration with ongoing delays in his efforts to get some accused abusers out of the priesthood." - dennisfa from Bookmarklet

"And Ted Cruz, a Republican freshman in the Senate who has been front and center in his party’s effort to squash Chuck Hagel’s nomination as secretary of defense, has a problem. He’s an ornery, swaggering piece of work. Just six weeks since his arrival on Capitol Hill, he’s already known for his naysaying, his nit-picking and his itch to upbraid lawmakers who are vastly senior to him, who have sacrificed more than he has and who deserve a measure of respect, or at least an iota of courtesy. Courtesy isn’t Cruz’s métier. Grandstanding and browbeating are." - dennisfa from Bookmarklet

"This month the Obama administration came under attack for the use of drones and the excessive casualties they inflict on civilians. Taking the criticism seriously, the administration has announced the development of a new array of “smart drones” that pinpoint strikes with brutal accuracy. A government memorandum provided by WikiLeaks details some of new arsenal’s devastating emotional firepower." - dennisfa from Bookmarklet

"Four years into his tenure, the onetime critic of President George W. Bush finds himself cast as a present-day Mr. Bush, justifying the muscular application of force in the defense of the nation while detractors complain that he has sacrificed the country’s core values in the name of security." - dennisfa from Bookmarklet

"Their retirement savings and home values fell sharply at the worst possible time: just before they needed to cash out. They are supporting both aged parents and unemployed young-adult children, earning them the inauspicious nickname “Generation Squeeze.” New research suggests that they may die sooner, because their health, income security and mental well-being were battered by recession at a crucial time in their lives. A recent study by economists at Wellesley College found that people who lost their jobs in the few years before becoming eligible for Social Security lost up to three years from their life expectancy, largely because they no longer had access to affordable health care." - dennisfa from Bookmarklet

"Young graduates are in debt, out of work and on their parents’ couches. People in their 30s and 40s can’t afford to buy homes or have children. Retirees are earning near-zero interest on their savings." - dennisfa from Bookmarklet

"ON Feb. 15, an asteroid designated 2012 DA14 will pass safely within about 17,200 miles of Earth’s surface — closer than the communication satellites that will be broadcasting the news of its arrival. The asteroid is about 150 feet in diameter and has a mass estimated at about 143,000 tons" - dennisfa from Bookmarklet

"On one level, there were not too many surprises in the newly disclosed “white paper” offering a legal reasoning behind the claim that President Obama has the power to order the killing of American citizens who are believed to be part of Al Qaeda. We knew Mr. Obama and his lawyers believed he has that power under the Constitution and federal law. We also knew that he utterly rejects the idea that Congress or the courts have any right to review such a decision in advance, or even after the fact." - dennisfa from Bookmarklet

"The U.S. has dropped the clarity of the rules of war for the vague balancing tests that govern cops on the beat." - dennisfa from Bookmarklet

"PHILLIPS, Calif. — Along Highway 50 in the Sierra Nevada, elevation 6,820 feet, a California winter ritual unfolded here on a recent morning. In the snow-blanketed meadow of a local homeowner’s backyard, reporters representing news organizations from across the state followed a man on skis who kept plunging an aluminum tube into the snow." - dennisfa from Bookmarklet

"A generation ago, when the poetry of PEnnsylvania and BUtterfield was about to give way to telephone numbers in unpoetic strings, a critical question arose: Would people be able to remember all seven digits long enough to dial them?" - dennisfa from Bookmarklet

"The women were victims of 'a tragic misinterpretation' by officers working under 'incredible tension,' LAPD Chief Charlie Beck says." - dennisfa from Bookmarklet

"Willy Machan acknowledges he is a gadfly, someone who writes bristling letters to local officials to get conditions improved in his grim single-room-occupancy building. But he was surprised by what his landlord offered last July to persuade him to move out of the room he has lived in since 1984 and for which he pays $371 a month." - dennisfa from Bookmarklet

"I am once again appalled by the hubris of my church. As a Roman Catholic, I am already nauseated at the criminal acts of our leaders, but it goes beyond the pale when they turn around and ask us to pay for their egregious behavior. They want $200 million? Perhaps I could require a quid pro quo: Allow women to be ordained and stop bullying our nuns. Then, maybe, I'll consider donating a few bucks. Otherwise, forget it." - dennisfa from Bookmarklet

"A consulting firm has been hired to study the feasibility of a campaign. The funds could be used to erase debts brought on by the priest sex abuse scandal." - dennisfa from Bookmarklet