New Health Law Frustrates Many in Middle Class  —  Ginger Chapman and her husband, Doug, are sitting on the health care cliff.  —  The cheapest insurance plan they can find through the new federal marketplace in New Hampshire will cost their family of four about $1,000 a month …

The Age of Intolerance  —  Last week, following the public apology of an English comedian and the arrest of a fellow British subject both for making somewhat feeble Mandela gags, I noted that supposedly free societies were increasingly perilous places for those who make an infelicitous remark.

Exclusive: Secret contract tied NSA and security industry pioneer  —  (Reuters) - As a key part of a campaign to embed encryption software that it could crack into widely used computer products, the U.S. National Security Agency arranged a secret $10 million contract with RSA …

THE STUPIDEST THING EVER WRITTEN UNTIL GOLDBERG WRITES SOMETHING ELSE, PART INFINITY.  —  I actually subscribe to “The Goldberg File,” through which Jonah Goldberg sends special email columns to the late-night real people, and this is how today's transmission begins: … Blink.  Blink.

Obama Repeals ObamaCare  —  Under pressure from Senate Democrats, the President partly suspends the individual mandate.  —  It seems Nancy Pelosi was wrong when she said “we have to pass” ObamaCare to “find out what's in it.”  No one may ever know because the White House keeps treating …

Steve Stockman's Campaign Headquarters Condemned  —  Once again a member of the ‘Party of Personal Responsibility’ shows absolutely no personal responsibility.  —  What the hell is the deal with these Republican slobs living in filth?  First, we learned that the Rohrabacher family took umbrage …

DCCC raises $5M in November  —  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised $5 million in November, its best showing in an off-year November ever and $1 million more than its Republican counterpart.  —  According to a DCCC aide, the committee had $27.6 million cash in the bank …

‘Duck Dynasty’: New episodes will include Phil  —  Regardless of the current controversy and behind-the-scenes tension, A&E has every intention of keeping Phil Robertson on the air.  —  A source close to the situation confirmed that when the network resumes airing new episodes …

Good Poor, Bad Poor  —  On Sundays, this time of year, my parents would pack a gaggle of us kids into the station wagon for a tour of two Christmas worlds.  First, we'd go to the wealthy neighborhoods on a hill — grand Tudor houses glowing with the seasonal incandescence of good fortune.

Tomgram: Engelhardt, Washington's Wedding Album From Hell  —  Follow TomDispatch on Twitter @TomDispatch. … “Bride and Boom!”  —  We're Number One... In Obliterating Wedding Parties  —  By Tom Engelhardt  —  The headline — “Bride and Boom!”  — was spectacular …

U.S. Economy Begins to Hit Growth Stride  —  Stronger-Than-Expected Increase in GDP Fueled by Consumer Spending  —  The U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace in two years, as a recovery that has otherwise chugged along in fits and starts builds up a head of steam going into the new year.

Federal Judge Rules That Same-Sex Marriage Is Legal in Utah  —  Salt Lake City began issuing marriage licenses to jubilant same-sex couples on Friday hours, after a federal judge ruled that Utah's amendment barring same-sex marriage violated the United States Constitution.