The War on Logic  —  My wife and I were thinking of going out for an inexpensive dinner tonight.  But John Boehner, the speaker of the House, says that no matter how cheap the meal may seem, it will cost thousands of dollars once you take our monthly mortgage payments into account.

George Allen launches early campaign - Loughner trial in San Diego — JDA Frontline grows — West Wing stars come out for Marissa Hopkins — First lady b'day  —  EXCLUSIVE: George Allen, the former U.S. senator and Virginia governor, plans to tell supporters within a week that he is mounting …

Scenes From a Marriage  —  In every twisted, wretched, ruinous relationship, there are moments so grim, flare-ups so appalling, that they offer both parties a chance to step back, take inventory, and realize that it's time — far past time, in fact — to go their separate ways.

Seahawks fall to climate of hate in Chicago  —  You should have known something like this was going to happen.  The vitriol and anger in our nation's sports talk has never been harsher - and we may as well face it: most of it is coming from Chicago Bears Fans.

Ex-Swiss Banker Gives Data to WikiLeaks  —  LONDON — A former Swiss bank executive said on Monday that he had given the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, details of more than 2,000 prominent individuals and companies that he contends engaged in tax evasion and other possible criminal activity.

A Former Dictator Reappears in Haiti  —  MEXICO CITY — Haiti's exiled former dictator, Jean-Claude Duvalier, returned unexpectedly to his homeland Sunday for the first time since he was deposed in a coup in 1986.  —  Although the reason was not immediately clear, his return …

Utah's “Quiet Title Law” Bypasses MERS, Awards Homes Free and Clear; One Homeowner Had $417,000 Debt Erased  —  The Salt Lake Tribune has an interesting article on Utah's “Quiet Title Laws”, MERS, clouded titles, and record keeping.  Several people won titles free and clear to their houses …

Correcting our record  —  We've removed an explosive 2005 report by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about autism and vaccines.  Here's why  —  In 2005, Salon published online an exclusive story by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that offered an explosive premise: that the mercury-based thimerosal compound present …

CNN/Opinion Research Poll - January 14-16 - Arizona Shootings  —  Interesting to see that 30% didn't think mental illness didn't play a role in this.  These people are either ignorant of the facts or as delusional as the gunman.  It is scary that that many people could think this insane delusional person had no mental illness.

Dupnik's Confession  —  Even the sheriff knows Loughner is crazy, per this long New York Times piece on the killer: … There's also this detail on Loughner:

the blindspot (updated)  —  I'm sorry, but I feel compelled.  —  The last week has seen an endless discussion, within the political blogosphere, about the meaning of rhetoric, extremism, and what is acceptable discourse.  I'm on break now, so I've been more attentive than usual.

New Call Not to Raise Debt Cap  —  WASHINGTON—Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a likely GOP White House hopeful, called on congressional Republicans to block an increase in the limit on federal borrowing, and he proposed legislation that he said would prevent a U.S. default on its loans.

The History of Martin Luther King Day  —  Who originated the idea of a national holiday in honor of MLK?  —  It took 15 years to create the federal Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday.  Congressman John Conyers, Democrat from Michigan, first introduced legislation for a commemorative holiday four days …